Fallen Stars
by Emerald Dynamo
Summary: Your Typical Smash Bros. Adventure Mode-type thingy fic. Set at the onset of the Fourth Smash Brothers Tournament, the roster cuts band together to bring a solution to a problem within the Smash Complex. However, they also release an even bigger threat (that's totally impossible to guess, guys, come on. XD) which could put many worlds in danger. Want to learn more? Then read on!
1. C1: Out of Sight, Out of Time

**So, I hope you've enjoyed yourselves over Christmas Break... I know I have! In fact, it's giving me time to work on this story, which I've had in the works for a while. Since the first several chapters are kinda short, I'm gonna post a lot at once... and since I am, I'll post my endnotes at the end of the last chapter I choose to post as of now. So, I'll see you then.**

 **…**

 **C1: Out of Sight, Out of Time**

 **…**

 _The person you_ _'_ _ve heard legends of is no longer a legend._

 _The stories of saving his homeland are a thing of the past._

 _He is no longer revered nor feared._

 _No one stands at his side but the others who were forced to go._

 _Whether once-adversaries or once-allies, they join together._

 _Those who once shone ever brighter now descend deeper into the darkness of obscurity._

 _One thing is for sure: Those who no longer fight in the tournaments of Smash strive to return._

…

The Pokemon Trainer, a former Smash competitor, closed his eyes as he tore a Poke Ball in half. The Charizard he had cared for - no, raised from a Charmander, had to be released.

The Flame Pokemon looked back sadly at its former trainer.

"I'm sorry, buddy…" the Trainer said. "But the Smash reps say I can't stay here with Ivysaur and Squirtle… they say it'll cause too much trouble. Besides, the entire gimmick that allowed me to use you, Ivysaur, and Squirtle is banned in the next tournament." He stopped for a second, emotions welling inside of him. He then joked wryly, "I hear they had a large amount of trouble getting the Samus suit to function without a pilot…"

Charizard looked back at its former trainer, tears coming to the Pokemon's eyes. The Trainer just smiled. "No need for those… save them for when you need to save someone's life, okay?"

Charizard growled, its expression contorting into a scowl before the mighty fire-type closed its eyes, its strong arms wrapping around its former trainer as tears fell, regardless of the trainer's words.

The trainer smiled, tears coming to his eyes. "I'm going to miss you too… Incendius." Charizard tensed at the nickname the trainer wasn't allowed to use in the arena, but hugged its former trainer closer.

After the hug ended, the trainer's hat drooped low on his head, covering his eyes but not the tears that were falling. "Good… good luck in the next tournament, buddy… I'll see you around…"

As his former trainer walked away, Charizard gave one last, mournful roar, blasting a column of flames high into the air, filled with anguish and misery at the loss of one he had treasured most dearly. Though he had said goodbye to Squirtle and Ivysaur before, the loss of his trainer was almost too much to bear.

As if on cue, dark clouds began pouring rain as the Trainer moved further and further away from the Smash Bros. complex, further away from his former home… further away from his greatest friend.

…

The Pokemon Trainer stopped when he was outside the gates of the Smash Complex. The 50-acre, warp-filled, gated living complex began as a small holding area for an iteration of Nintendo's Finest. Now, however, it served as an anchor for fighters from various universes to warp to separate stages for battle. There were so many time- and space-bending portals involved in the fourth tournament that it took Nintendo nearly six years to upgrade the place- but, during that time, Pokemon Trainer Red had never felt more at home. Though he had forgotten his name a few times (due to everyone just calling him Pokemon Trainer while in the arena), he had friends there- Pit, the Ice Climbers, and even Toon Link were the ones he got pretty close to over the long years it took.

Red sighed. "So… What now?" The Smash Complex was in the middle of Wyoming, a place that no one would dare look for Smashers. The Nintendo-owned land around the complex was soon dubbed "Smash City" because, though still within the gates, it contained everything the smashers might need- a Wal-Mart, a Chipotle, a Starbucks, and various other venues.

Red groaned. Since he had Pokemon with him still and they couldn't just send him back to his homeland after six years without aging (though Nintendo was magical, it wasn't all-powerful— They could pull a Smasher from a different reality and time, but not return the Smasher to the exact instant they left. A lot of people wondered why, but Red just didn't argue with the Nintendo Staff still working at the arena), Nintendo forced him to live in a small lodge at the edge of town.

…

As soon as the still-moping Pokemon Trainer entered the lodge, he saw an envelope with the Smash Bros. seal in blue on the bed. He begrudgingly picked up the envelope and tore it open. As soon as he began reading, he called out both Squirtle and Ivysaur.

The Tiny Turtle Pokemon and the Seed Pokemon both frowned.

"Squirtle Squirt…" the Water-type lamented.

"Saur Ivysaur." Ivysaur also added his laments.

Red couldn't help but look away. "Listen, guys… I know we lost Incendius…" There was a pause as Ivysaur and Squirtle both looked down.

"But we have to make our own path. This is how it is now…" He sighed. "We're going to have to learn how to live in Smash City."

Red flung the letter down onto the bed. "The letter here says, 'Pkmn Trainer Red, we at Nintendo regretfully inform you that you have not been asked to rejoin the roster. Further than that, we are deeply sorry that you had to release your Charizard, Incendius, in order to have him participate in the next tournament. Despite the fact that you have been banned from the Smash Complex until you either return to the Smash Bros. Roster or a breakthrough is made in the time-space warps to return you to your own universe, you will stay in Smash City with another cut character as a roommate. Nintendo will provide accomodations and food for you, but you will have to earn any extra money on your own, working at one of the preexisting establishments (American money. Exchange rates are listed in the directory on the side table. Though this is Nintendo-owned, you may not bring your Pokemon outside the lodge, as there are some Wyoming-native citizens nearby). Since the Nintendo Everlasting System, created by Masayuki Uemura (Not to be confused with another of his accomplishments, the Nintendo Entertainment System) is still in place, you still will not age a day, physically. That is all for now. I hope you enjoy your stay in Smash City.

Please understand,

Reggie Fils-Aimé' "

Red groaned. "I have to have a roommate now?"

The door to his room was flung open, and Red blinked as he saw a red-haired boy wearing blue armor plating on his torso with a purple cape, khaki pants, and blue boots. Blue eyes met brown ones before the boy nodded to Red.

"You got cut from Smash, too?" he asked.

Red sighed. "Yup. The entire reason I was in Smash was banned in the fourth tournament, so they evicted me… and they took my best friend away from me in the process."

The red-haired boy sighed and sat down on a chair in the same room. "Well, we all have to deal with grief, here. I've been here for six years and I still haven't been sent back…"

Red blinked in shock. "You mean you're from the Melee tournament?"

The red-haired boy smiled. "Correct! My name is Roy, and it's certainly a pleasure to meet you."

Red grinned back. "Pokemon Trainer Red, at your service."

Roy's eyes widened in surprise. "A full-on trainer? We only had a few Pokemon back in Melee… Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo and-"

"Mewtwo?! They had a legendary pokemon on the roster?" Red spoke in disbelief.

Roy sighed. "Yup… and the fans of the Smash Tournaments felt the same way as you so… Mewtwo is going to rejoin the battle early next year."

Red cringed. "So THAT's who my spot is going to…"

Roy shrugged. "Hey, it could be worse. At least they didn't replace you with a clone character…" Roy's expression turned dark. "Lucina is exactly like Marth in every way, shape, and form, except for the fact that her attacks don't have a sweet spot. I mean, come on! I had fire damage! I had-"

Red put a hand on Roy's shoulder. "We were all our own characters, Roy… we were all in…"

Roy sighed, then gave a small smile. "I guess I shouldn't dwell on the past."

He walked to the fridge in the center of the lodge and opened the door. "You want something to drink, too?"

Red nodded. "A Sprite, if you have it."

Roy grabbed a green bottle and tossed it in the trainer's general direction. Ivysaur, who had been lounging to the side of the bed, used its vines to catch the drink and handed it to its trainer. Roy immediately gaped, dropping the (fortunately, still closed) bottle of Coca-Cola and dashed over to Ivysaur and Squirtle, who smiled warmly at the red-haired boy.

Roy grinned at the sight. "I've never seen these two before… but I guess you live up to your name as Pokemon Trainer. These are the only two you had?"

Red shifted uneasily. "Can you keep a secret?"

Roy nodded. "That, I can do."

Red took a deep breath before speaking quickly. "I may have brought the Pokemon that controls time outside of the Smash Complex."


	2. C2: You Brought A WHAT?

**…**

 **C2: You Brought A WHAT?!**

 **…**

Roy blinked twice before smirking widely. "You got Dialga? How did you manage to do that?"

Red shrugged as he continued, "Well, it was a-" He paused, then looked suspiciously at his new friend. "How do you know it's Dialga? You're from Fire Emblem, aren't you?"

Roy laughed at that. "Smash City is owned by Nintendo… do you honestly think that they don't supply game systems and games at the local stores?" He jumped up and ran to his room. A second later, he emerged holding a red DS Lite with the stylus missing. "I haven't been able to earn enough money to upgrade to the 3DS, but I've played through Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum several times."

Red shrugged. "In any case, it's a long story…"

Roy motioned for him to continue, a wide grin on his face. "Please, do tell."

Red nodded and began to tell his tale.

 _…_ _Begin_Flashback/Three_Days_Earlier_ _…_

 _"_ _Are you sure about this, Lucario? I mean, we_ _'_ _re not sure if my theory will work._ _"_ _Red nervously asked the aura Pokemon, who was rushing beside him to one of the warps._

 _"_ _Without a doubt,_ _"_ _he replied telepathically._ _"_ _The Nintendo staff is making preparations for all of the new arrivals in a few days_ _…_ _and the roster shifts._ _"_

 _Red smiled._ _"_ _Let_ _'_ _s hope I made it back in._ _"_

 _Lucario smirked as they kept running, both Red_ _'_ _s and his own bags clinking with their contents._ _"_ _If this works, there_ _'_ _s no way he_ _'_ _ll kick you out!_ _"_

 _They reached the Pokemon corridor, where Jigglypuff and Pikachu were both waiting for them._

 _"_ _Pika Pika!_ _"_ _The Mouse Pokemon jumped for joy when he saw Red. The Pokemon trainer couldn_ _'_ _t help but smile at Pikachu_ _'_ _s endless energy._

 _"_ _Jiggly!_ _"_ _Jigglypuff pointed to the warp as Lucario nodded._

 _"_ _We_ _'_ _re just about ready_ _…_ _3_ _…_ _2_ _…_ _1_ _…"_

 _"_ _WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_ _"_ _a voice thundered. Everyone cringed as they saw an irate staff member. The portal opened up, and Lucario motioned everyone on. The Steel- and Fighting-type then added,_ _"_ _Saving us all._ _"_ _before rushing into the portal. Jigglypuff, however, elected to stay behind, and used Sing to stall for time, putting the staff member, who was about to run and get Master Hand, to sleep as the portal vanished for the time being._

 _"_ _Puff Jigg Jiggly_ _…"_ _She whispered, which vaguely translates to either,_ _"_ _There is a Titan attacking the outermost wall_ _…"_ _or_ _"_ _Be safe, Everyone_ _…"_

 _…_

 _The warp had taken them to one of the most intense places in the Sinnoh Region - the Spear Pillar. Located at the top of Mt. Coronet, the crowning peak of the Sinnoh Region, this was the place if you wanted to find one of the legendary Trio of Sinnoh._

 _"_ _You have what you need, Red?_ _"_ _Lucario asked again._

 _Red nodded._ _"_ _I have ten each of Poke Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls_ _…"_

 _Lucario shook his head with a knowing grin._ _"_ _You don_ _'_ _t know how to catch Legendaries, do you?_ _"_

 _"_ _Hey, it worked in Yellow Version!_ _"_ _Red defended._

 _Lucario smirked._ _"_ _I did happen to bring about seven each of a variety of Poke Balls and, if that fails, the crowning achievement of this region._ _"_

 _Red gasped._ _"_ _A Master Ball?_ _"_

 _Lucario smirked._ _"_ _Nope - an extremely rare_ _…"_ _everyone looked at him with eager eyes as he finished,_ _"_ _Level 100 Mild Poffin!_ _"_

 _Everyone sweatdropped as Lucario looked confused._ _"_ _What? The flavor mixes are perfect!_ _"_

 _Red sighed._ _"_ _Come on_ _…_ _we still have to try to talk to him first._ _"_

 _…_ _Pause_Flashback_ _…_

Roy sat back in his chair, regarding the tale in awe. "So you went up against one of the Sinnoh Legendaries with a team of five mid-leveled Pokemon? Even I know that's suicide."

Red shook his head with a grin. "Keep listening… you might be surprised."

… _Resume_Flashback_ …

 _As they approached the Spear Pillar, a blue glow began to come from Lucario_ _'_ _s bag._

 _"_ _Of course_ _…"_ _he mentioned,_ _"_ _I brought along_ this _!_ _"_ _He dug out an extremely large diamond, multifaceted, shaped in a perfect circle, and shining like a blue star._

 _Red_ _'_ _s eyes widened._ _"_ _It_ _'_ _s beautiful_ _…"_

 _"_ _Pika Pika_ _…"_ _Pikachu echoed. (Translation:_ _"_ _Soooo Shiny_ _…"_ _)_

 _Lucario nodded._ _"_ _The Adamant Orb_ _…_ _the only thing that can summon Dialga to this time and place._ _"_

 _Seconds later, a blue Portal appeared, and the gigantic Steel- and Dragon-type stepped out with a ferocious roar. Red_ _'_ _s group didn_ _'_ _t give an inch, glaring back at the Legendary Pokemon._

 _Dialga roared out,_ _"_ _Gugyugubah!_ _"_

 _Lucario telepathically told us,_ _"_ _It_ _'_ _s either,_ _"_ _Why have you called me here, humans?_ _"_ _or_ _"_ _A wizard is never late, nor is he early._ _"_

 _Red raised an eyebrow in confusion._ _"_ _I_ _'_ _m just going to assume the former,_ _"_ _he thought back._

 _The trainer then spoke out loud._ _"_ _Dialga, o master of Time. Our universe, the universe of Smash Brothers, is in a grave danger. No one may return to their home universes, leading to leaderless peoples, kingdoms thrown into anarchy, and a great deal of general chaos. You alone have the power to stop this, allowing those who have left for this tournament to return to their proper homes at the right time._ _"_

 _Dialga appeared to ponder before saying,_ _"_ _Gyubahgugyugah._ _"_

 _Lucario paled before shaking his head._ _"_ _I_ _…_ _he said, Only if you beat me in a battle first._ _"_

 _Red smirked._ _"_ _Alright, get_ _'_ _him, Lucari-_ _"_

 _"_ _GUYAH!_ _"_ _Dialga roared, shaking its head. He pointed to the bag and a gigantic roar came off of Dialga, though not from its mouth, but its stomach._

 _"_ _Gugyugugabuh_ _…"_ _He soon whimpered, embarrassed._

 _Lucario smirked._ _"_ _Wait_ _…_ _it_ _'_ _s so hungry_ _…"_ _He turned to Red, who took out the extremely rare Poffin with an_ _"_ _are-you-kidding-me_ _"_ _look and Dialga nodded vigorously._

 _"_ _Only if you come with us,_ _"_ _Lucario spoke telepathically._

 _Dialga nodded again and Red threw the poffin up into the air. Dialga jumped up like a seventeen-foot tall dog and caught the treat in its mouth. When Dialga hit the ground, it created shockwaves that knocked the entire group back a few feet._

 _"_ _Oh, I_ _'_ _m dreadfully sorry,_ _"_ _a deep voice telepathically said._ _"_ _I didn_ _'_ _t mean to cause you all so much commotion_ _…_ _I just become uncontrollably angry when I_ _'_ _m hungry._ _"_

 _Red smiled and pet Dialga on the head, which caused the Temporal Pokemon to sigh._

 _"_ _No problem. So_ _…_ _will you come with us?_ _"_

 _Dialga nodded._ _"_ _Indeed, good sir. I will support your cause._ _"_

 _Red tapped a Timer Ball (from Lucario_ _'_ _s Bag) on the Pokemon_ _'_ _s head, which rocked three times before it stopped. Red grinned at Lucario, who was also smiling._ _"_ _A timer ball - how appropriate._ _"_

 _"_ _Pika pi!_ _"_ _(Translated to either,_ _"_ _Aye, sir!_ _"_ _or_ _"_ _Lol yup._ _"_ _I guess it doesn_ _'_ _t really matter too much, though_ _…_ _)_

 _…_

 _When they stepped through the portal, the group was met with a KOed Jigglypuff standing to a very upset Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, and Master Hand. Pikachu, Red, and Lucario simultaneously gulped._

 _"_ _You have some explaining to do._ _"_ _Samus spoke flatly._

 _Sheik nodded._ _"_ _I_ _'_ _m glad I had a reason for following you here._ _"_

 _Lucario narrowed his eyes, pensive._ _"_ _Then how come I couldn_ _'_ _t detect your aura?_ _"_

 _Sheik rolled her eyes._ _"_ _Actually, Game & Watch tipped us off, but that_ _'_ _s besides the point._ _"_

 _Master Hand wrung himself out three times, which was most likely the equivalent of nodding._ _"_ _I will be forced to restrict you all from Brawling until the next tournament_ _…_ _if you_ _'_ _re still around._ _"_

 _Red tried to interject._ _"_ _But Master Hand, we have the solu-_ _"_

 _"_ _No buts, Pokémon Trainer._ _"_ _Red cringed at the use of his formal title._ _"_ _Now, back to your rooms, all of you!_ _"_

 _Red was near tears._ _"_ _But it_ _'_ _s importan-_ _"_

 _"_ _MOVE! NOW!_ _"_

 _Pikachu and Red both looked downcast as they walked back. Lucario stopped to pick up Jigglypuff before they all traveled to their respective rooms._

 _Red frowned before apologizing to the entire team._ _"_ _I_ _'_ _m sorry, everyone_ _…"_

 _Lucario smiled._ _"_ _Don_ _'_ _t worry, Red. It was a noble cause. I_ _'_ _m sure they_ _'_ _ll see, eventually._ _"_

 _…_ _End_Flashback_ _…_

Roy was visibly upset. "Those &*$%ing idiots!" he cursed.

Red jumped, visibly startled at his friend's word choice.

Roy sighed. "Sorry… I know you're from an E-rated game."

After another shocked second, Red smiled. "It's fine… I'm just used to those words coming from Snake or Wolf…"

Roy looked at him in confusion as Red clarified, "Wolf is from Star Fox and Snake is a Third-party fighter from Metal Gear Solid… new to the Brawl tournament."

Roy nodded in understanding. "Well," he said, "I've got to go to work… I have the night shift tonight. I'll be at the Smash City McDonald's if you need me."

Red nodded with a smile as Roy pulled off his armor and cape, revealing a red t-shirt underneath with the golden arches on it.

A second later, Roy stepped out of the lodge. Red laid back on the bed as Squirtle jumped beside him.

"Squirtle Squirt!" It spoke, pointing back to the complex.

Red nodded solemnly. "Yeah… I wonder what happened to the others, too."

 **...  
** **So, as you can probably tell, I try not to curse. I'm sure if you do, you can imagine what words I'm implying there. If not, I hope you enjoy symbol-euphemism stew. Regardless, I know these first couple chapters are kinda short and kinda cheesy, but I hope you'll keep on reading to at least what I have posted. However, that is not my true endnote! So, I'll see you back in that!**


	3. C3: The Players Begin to Gather

**…**

 **C3: The Players Begin to Gather**

 **…**

Inside a nearby lodge, a medium-sized box opened, revealing a striking figure glaring back at the Smash Complex.

"Damn… I don't know how you do it," Wolf commented as he stepped out of the box.

"You know, you didn't need to ship yourself to the cabin." Snake, who was waiting on the bed in the opposite room, added. "My way of travel, done badly, leads to a terrible crick in the neck."

Wolf shrugged. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Snake recoiled from the Wolfen pilot with a rocket launcher in his arms. "You quote that freakin' movie one more time and I'm going to blast you back to wherever you come from!"

Wolf chuckled, his hand palming his blaster. "You recognize Gone With the Wind as a good movie or I'm shooting back."

Snake shook his head, putting the rocket launcher away after a second. "It was many hours too long for me and you played it so many times that I must have gotten two migraines."

Wolf appeared enraged by this comment. "You idiots! Not respecting the classics is what put your society on the path to ruin!"

"Actually, that would be a great deal of unnecessary wars, squandering our natural resources, and reducing our society to a basis of near-infinite consumerism and leisure activities." Snake deadpanned.

Wolf couldn't even argue with that logic, so he just growled and turned away.

Snake smirked before vanishing.

Wolf groaned. "You know, you have to stop doing that. What are you doing, anyways?"

After a few seconds, Snake replied, "Trying to communicate with the others."

Wolf appeared interested. "Which 'others?' "

Snake shrugged. "Oh, the Ice Climbers and Lucas, who are rooming together. I installed a communicator into that lodge the last time I went out to get supplies for the Complex."

Wolf gave a knowing smirk. "I did overhear Falco complaining you took too long."

Snake gave a frustrated sigh. "I swear, that bird eats too many of those Goldfish crackers for his own good."

Wolf nodded before looking outside. "Well, I might as well get some food, too. You want me to get you something?"

There was silence for a moment before Snake answered, "If it's all the same to you, if I want something, I will get it with my own means."

Wolf feigned annoyance. "Sir, you are no gentleman." The wolf chuckled as he walked through the door. Moments later, Snake peered out from his room, glaring in the direction where the mercenary formerly was.

"&*$% off, Wolf."

…

"If you lay one hand on my sister," Popo scowled, "you will face my wrath."

The recipient of this statement stood in a lodge on the opposite side of Smash City. The poor guy was none other than Lucas, who shied away from the blue-coated eskimo, who had invaded his room, and responded, "What… what do you mean?"

Popo looked confused. "You mean… you don't know what love is?"

Lucas blushed deeply. "Wha… what do you mean? I don't have feelings for her…"

Popo nodded. "Ah. Never mind, then."

He left the still-frightened PSI-user in his room before returning to Nana, who was pondering over the directory.

 _"_ _W-well… that was… u-unecessary… and… for some reason… unnecessarily scary."_ Lucas thought as Popo slammed the door behind him.

"Oh… so a Rupee is the equivalent to three dollars and 85 cents… and that means a magical shield from the first game is worth about five hundred dollars. Very interesting…"

Popo sighed. "So, what are _we_ going to do for money? We don't have any coins in our universe, which limits our options."

Nana sighed. "And we're kids, which makes us technically unable to work."

Popo looked downcast. "Well, this is not good…"

Lucas looked in from the other room. "Wh… why don't we ask some of the other guys to help us out with the money situation?"

Popo freaked. "No no no! There's no way we're getting anywhere near Snake or Wolf!"

Nana nodded, also scared. Lucas sighed.

"Well, we're going to need some food, so…"

There was a knock at the door. All three children jumped.

"Lucas? Nana? Popo?" All three children recognized the voice and smiled, their fears gone.

"Zelda!" They all cheered, running to the front door.

The princess of Hyrule was waiting for them with a smile.

"It's good to see you all… I knew I'd find you here."

Lucas smiled and hugged the princess tightly.

"It's good to see you, Zelda…"

Zelda returned the hug with a motherly smile.

"I'm glad I could even see you. Master Hand gave me permission to help you all get settled in."

The Ice Climbers smiled.

"Thank you, Princess Zelda." they chorused.

She nodded. "It was my pleasure. Now then…"

Lucas' stomach rumbled at that very moment. Both Ice Climbers jumped while Lucas looked away, embarrassed. Zelda gave a knowing smile..

"It doesn't take the Triforce of Wisdom to know that you're hungry… What say I treat you to dinner. Where do you want-"

"McDonald's!"

She gave a laughing sigh. "How did I know you were going to say that? Alright, let's go."

"Yay!" The three children cheered, running up to the somehow-well-kept restaurant.

As they left, a hidden communicator began ringing. The voicebox clicked.

"Hello?" Snake asked.

"Chu Pichu!" A voice called.

"… Oh, It's you."

"Chu Pi Pichu pi!"

"Never mind, then. Bye."

…

The Nintendo Staff working the restaurant (dual employment at McDonalds was preferable for those of low intelligence) were surprised to see not only the Wolf O'Donnell in the left doorway, but also the group of children led by Zelda in the right.

The children shied behind the Hylian princess, who grinned. "Don't worry… he's harmless."

Nana whimpered, "Let's run away anyways…"

Wolf saw the children and remarked menacingly, "Going so soon? I wouldn't hear of it. Why, my little party's just beginning!"

Zelda, straight-faced, said, "You have no power here! Be gone, before someone drops a house on you, too!"

Wolf smiled at the return quote, dropping his rather wicked temperament. "Glad you haven't forgotten Oz. Good to see you here."

Zelda appeared more cordial as well. "I never forget a great movie. Sorry you got cut."

Wolf shrugged. "It wasn't my decision. Besides, this place has one of the last remaining Blockbuster stores in the U.S., and it's chock-full with old movies… so you won't see me complaining."

Zelda nodded. "Very well… How is Snake, by the way?"

Wolf gave a noncommittal shrug. "Still working out the antisocial and loner life, as ever."

Zelda smiled. "Well, I hope this all works out well for both of you."

Wolf nodded. "I appreciate your concern. Now…"

He turned to the counter, growling. The Nintendo staff paled and shied away. As Wolf approached, fixing them with a menacing gaze, he extended his razor-sharp claws with an audible "snikt." The three children all cowered in fear. Only Zelda had a knowing smile.

As soon as Wolf reached the counter, he stood up straight and spoke as if he were sophisticated. "I'd like a Quarter Pounder with cheese meal and a double order of 10-piece chicken nuggets."

The McDonalds staff were confused. "Ummm… okay the-"

"NOW!" Wolf roared. The staffers, scared, jumped to work.

Wolf smirked, chuckling lightly to himself. "Never gets old…"

Lucas and the Ice Climbers just stared at him in shock and awe. Zelda sighed.

"You always go for the dramatic, don't you?"

Wolf nodded. "I am indeed inclined to."

The door opened once more, but this time, Roy entered. Though he recognized Zelda and the Ice Climbers, he was a little confused at the wolf.

Roy walked up to the rest of the workers, who gave him Wolf's order and pushed him on.

"You take this one! Hurry!"

Roy shrugged, then looked at Wolf. "Something wrong with your eye?"

Wolf glared at him. "Yes, it's sensitive to questions."

Roy paused for a second, thinking. "Was that a reference?"

Zelda smiled. "Come on, Roy… you should know what movie that's from."

The Ice Climbers looked in shock at the employee. "Roy?"

The former Fire Emblem rep waved awkwardly. "Hey, you two. And hi again, Zelda."

The two Ice Climbers crowded around Roy, who sighed.

"I guess I didn't want you all to see me like this… I mean, I'm a completely different person than when I left Melee all those years ago."

Zelda grinned. "I'd say so. The first several months, you could speak English about as well as a polar bear."

Wolf snickered as the other children laughed. Roy flushed, embarrassed, and said,

"W-well, I'm fluent now, and that's all that matters."

Wolf nodded, grabbing the order from Roy's hands, leaving several U.S. dollars, but one too short.

Roy called out after him, "Hey, wait a minute! Where's the missing dollar?"

Wolf chuckled. "That's for you not knowing _North by Northwest_."

As Wolf left, Roy sighed before looking back at Zelda.

"So is every other sentence he speaks a classic movie reference?" Roy asked.

The group of four nodded. "You get used to it eventually," Zelda added.

"Why is he like that?" Lucas questioned.

Zelda sighed. "I've heard that when fighting Fox or Falco in the ring got really boring, he made a bet with Snake and the members of Team Star Fox. Whoever won a team battle would fund a Netflix subscription for the duration of the time they were at Brawl. As you can probably tell, Snake and Wolf won, and Fox and Falco gained even more of a vendetta against him. It's where he was introduced to all those old movies, though, and he keeps quoting them as a way to rub it in to Team Star Fox. Even though he's no longer able to shove it in their faces, I think he's just so used to it by now that he keeps on with it."

Roy shrugged. "Oh. So, what would you all like?"

Zelda responded, "Nothing for me, but these three would-"

They were interrupted by a Nintendo Staff member rushing in and said, "The newcomers are arriving now!"

Instantly, everyone but Roy and Zelda's group left the building. Roy stammered,

"Ummm… may I take your… order?"

Zelda frowned. "I'm sorry, but I must join the others to meet the new fighters." She nodded in the redhead's direction.

"It was good seeing you, again, though, Roy."

Roy smiled back. "Agreed."

Zelda disappeared using Farore's Wind as Roy sighed. "Tell you what," he said to the kids, "Today's meal is my treat, as long as you don't go overboard."

Lucas and the Ice Climbers cheered as the redhead zoned out for a second.

 _"_ _I have to get on their good side if I want Snake_ _'_ _s plan to work, don_ _'_ _t I?_ _"_


	4. C4: The Formation of a Plan

**…**

 **C4: The Formation of a Plan**

 **…**

Snake sighed. "Why can't I get through to Otacon and the others?"

"Chu pi pichu! Chu pi chu chupi pi chuchu pichu!" (Translation: "How am I supposed to know? I've been kept in a cage in a shelter and was taken care of by annoying Pokemon nerds for six years. I have no idea how this world works!")

Snake shook his head, not understanding. "I still don't know why I decided to spring you from that cage, since I can't understand a word you say."

Pichu shook his head in disdain. "Chu pichu." ("Ain't that the truth.")

The door was then slammed open as Wolf entered, order in hand.

"I don't like that Roy kid." he commented.

Snake shook his head. "You'll have to get along. The moment we find the others, we have to convince them of the plan, then get them to work together as a team."

Wolf shook his head as he placed the food on the table. "I don't know how that'll work. They're all from diverse backgrounds."

Snake replied, "Need I remind you that we won that Netflix subscription because we worked together as a team, regardless of the fact that Star Fox had been working as a separate team for years?"

Wolf shrugged. "Fair enough. I guess it is a possibility, albeit a small one."

"Chu pichu pichu pi chupi…" Pichu murmured with a jealous look. ("I hate not having an epic backstory…")

Snake stood up, ready for the mission ahead of him. "You take the three children - I was tapping into the video footage in the McDonald's, and they're okay with you."

Wolf rolled his eyes. "You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly, terribly sorry he's going to jail."

Snake shook his head. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

Wolf shrugged. "Force of habit."

Snake looked towards the door. "I'll work with Roy to handle the other two while you're waiting."

Wolf's eyes widened. "I understand Red, but you can't seriously want to go after _him_ … he'll drag our team down!"

Snake smirked. "I have my ways of convincing him."

Wolf shook his head. "It's your funeral…"

Snake laughed wryly as he exited the door. "That's already happened."

…

"I… I've met with… a terrible fate… haven't I?" A voice whispered, huddling in the corner he hadn't wished to leave for six years. His daily caretakers forced him to eat, to sleep… but he never really cared for sleep. Every time he slept, he would only have nightmares of his past.

There was a knock at the door. The owner of the voice cringed.

"I don't want to see anyone… don't want to share my… fate…"

"Young Link, it's only me…"

A tear fell from the young Hylian's eye. "You can't… I don't want you in this mess… all fated…"

Young Link jumped as the door slammed open and an infuriated Snake glared at him.

Roy rushed in after the former FOXHOUND member, trying to stop him, but Snake held his hand up.

"No. I'm gonna say my piece."

He took a short breath before saying, "You're not the only one that's been through traumatic experiences here. But being replaced by Toon Link means you're probably feeling some sense of betrayal from the other LoZ smashers, am I right?"

Young Link looked at Snake in awe. "How'd you know? Who… who are you?"

Snake looked at the younger smasher. "I'm someone who knows… knows what it's like to be cut from the Smash Bros. roster. I was an incredibly unique character, only playable with stealth and planning… but they cut me out for who knows why. Clone characters weren't the only ones taken off of the roster this time.

"The point is, we've all felt a sense of loss and betrayal. I'm not sure about your past, but I can assure you that we will be making a plan to storm the headquarters of Smash Bros. We can even send you back to the Ocarina of Time Hyrule, if all goes well."

Young Link's eyes widened. "You mean… I never have to go through that Majora's Mask adventure again?"

Snake shrugged. "Who knows whether Nintendo will remake it later or not? **(… heh…)** Regardless, we've all been shoved aside, and I say we're going to inflict payback on the Smashers to get back to our rightful places in there."

Roy chimed in. "We'll show that even though most of us are clone characters, we can wreck house even better than our originals."

Snake shrugged. "All I'm here to say is we're going to have a meeting with some of the other cut characters at 9 P.M. tonight in the Pokemon Trainer's and Roy's cabin… I've already okayed it with them, and the rest of them will be there. It's up to you if you want to join us or not…"

Roy gave him a pleading look. "We could really use your power for the imminent danger that's coming our way.

Young Link paused at that, reminiscing to Termina and the Majora's Mask adventure. "Certain doom looming over…"

Snake shook his head. "Haven't you faced these fears before?"

The young Hylian looked at the Metal Gear representative in shock. Snake smirked. "I mean, you had to compete in Melee somehow, right?"

He nodded. "With my friends' help…"

Snake seemed more interested. "Well, I assure you, we're all friends here. We can help each other cope with our doubts and weak points. We will move forward as a unit and as a team."

Young Link nodded after a few seconds, a determined smile beginning to return to his face. "I- I'll be there!"

As Roy fist-pumped, Snake gave a small grin. "See you there."

The two left as Young Link nodded once more. "Time to polish off the old Ocarina, Master Sword, and Kokiri Shield! Young Link is back in business!"

…

Wolf O'Donnell wondered how he had gotten stuck with convincing the Ice Climbers and Lucas to come to this meeting. He wasn't good with kids -or- social interaction at all; that was more reserved for the good guys… Regardless, he couldn't let Snake down - his entire mission counted on it.

Wolf rapped the door thrice, then muttered to himself, "Merely this, and nothing more…"

As Lucas opened the door, he awkwardly jumped at the Star Wolf member's looming presence.

"Um… hi, Mr. Wolf…" Lucas timidly said.

Wolf sighed. "My name is O'Donnell. Wolf O'Donnell… Just Wolf will do, though."

Lucas shrugged. "So, why are you here?"

Wolf smirked. "To invite you to the world's first meeting of Roster Cuts Anonymous, where we all get together and connive and scheme for how we're all going to get back in Smash."

Lucas' eyes widened and a grin overtook his face. "WE'RE GOING BACK?!"

Wolf panicked and held a hand over Lucas' mouth. "Shush, shush! This is a _secret_! We don't want people hearing us…"

Lucas looked down, embarrassed and shuffling his feet. "Sorry, Mr. O'Donnell."

Wolf appeared unnerved. "Like I said, just Wolf… Mr. O'Donnell is kind of unsettling."

Lucas gave a tentative smile. "I _do_ want to see Ness again… where are we going to go?"

Wolf pointed to the cabin that housed Red and Roy.

"It'll be held there in a few hours, at 6 P.M."

Lucas nodded. "Okay. Should I tell Nana and Popo about it?"

Wolf smiled. "Make sure they come… we won't start without them."

Lucas nodded again before saying, "Is that all?"

Wolf smirked. "Yup. Be there in a few hours."

Wolf walked back towards the cabin, satisfied, his mission completed. Lucas closed the door and immediately started hyperventilating.

 _"Wow, that was terrifying…"_ he thought.

…

Red groaned, having been asleep for a long while.

"Saur Ivysaur!" Upon being smacked in the wrist by a vine whip, Red finally opened his eyes, irritated.

"What was that for, Ivy-" he saw both of his Pokemon pointing frantically to the doorway. Occupying said doorway was Solid Snake, who was sighing.

"Come on… your presence is needed. We can't start this meeting without you."

Red was alarmed. "It's 6:45 already?"

Snake smirked. "Seven fifteen. We all had dinner."

Red was shocked, jumping out of his bed as he ran into the main room, followed by Squirtle and Ivysaur. He saw Nana, Popo, and Lucas playing a game of Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U system that was there. Lucas frowned as his Mii avatar was hit by a red shell and Nana (who was playing as Pink Gold Peach) passed him on Dolphin Shoals. Nana stuck her tongue out at the PSI-empowered blond, who frowned timidly as they continued to race.

Roy, Young Link, and Wolf were all caught up in a game of Hearts. A fourth hand was dealt by the former Star Fox rep. As Snake sat down at the table and looked at his cards, he sneered.

"Wolf, reshuffle the cards. I know your tricks."

With a sigh, the Wolfen pilot put both his hands up, leaving his cards on the table. "Just because I made the game easier on everyone doesn't mean it's wrong."

Roy took a Phoenix Wright-esque "Objection!" pose. "Your Honor, Wolf set himself up to shoot the moon!"

Wolf retaliated, "This is baseless conjecture! Your Honor, the victim has no proof other than the fact that his hand and Snake's are out of order."

Young Link set his cards down, confused. "Are you guys making a reference?"

Snake yelled out, "Hold it!" Everyone stared at him, including Ivysaur and Squirtle. Lucas's Mii fell off of the racetrack again before Popo paused the game without looking back.

"We're supposed to be having a meeting here, right?"

Everyone finally saw Red, who looked down, embarrassed.

Roy smiled. "Very well. Let's get down to business, the-"

"To defeat… The HUNS!" Young Link interjected, striking a pose. Everyone just stared at him awkwardly. The Hylian's face tinted with embarrassment.

"What? I liked that movie…"

Snake groaned. "In any case… we need to figure out what, exactly, we're trying to gain by breaking in to the Complex again."

Nana grinned. "First, though, this conspiracy needs a new name."

Roy nodded. "How about 'Project M'? We're bringing back some Melee characters, right?"

Wolf shrugged. "I don't think it'll catch on. Besides, not _all_ of us were in Melee."

Roy looked away, frustrated.

"Chu Pichu pi…" ("I thought it was nice…") Pichu interjected from under the card table.

There was silence before a moment before Lucas jumped in. "The Unbeatables?"

Red groaned. "Some characters can't even fight."

Lucas shrank back in the seat. Nana put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I think it's a marvelous idea."

Roy muttered, "Shut up, chain grabbers," under his breath.

Popo heard him and jumped, lifting his hammer as he neared the Fire Emblem native. However, Ivysaur acted quickly and used Vine Whip, immobilizing the Ice Climber in midair.

Popo flailed around, straining the Pokemon's grip on him. "Let me go! He insulted me and my sister!"

Red snapped his fingers, causing everyone to look at him. Popo even stopped struggling, for a second.

"Our team name is Fallen Stars. We're no longer All-Stars, but we still intend to wreck house."

Snake nodded his approval as Wolf chuckled. "Impressive."

Roy nodded. "Agreed."

Wolf turned to the group. "Well, now that that's settled, I say we plan our assault."

Lucas yawned. "How about tomorrow?"

Nana commented, "I still have to finish unpacking."

Snake pointed out, "The kids are right. We're in no rush. Besides, having these group meetings is a good way to bond, right?"

Roy reluctantly nodded, then murmured, "As if I'd want to bond with Classic Movie Dork over here."

Wolf's claws extended. "You do know that wolves have enhanced hearing, right, ginger?"

Roy glared at him. "Don't make me grab the Sword of Seals, old-timer!"

Snake stepped in between both of them, extending his hands. "This is no way to act. We need to set aside our differences for the common goal."

Wolf sighed. "Fair enough. If there are no _other_ complaints, it is late, and I declare this meeting adjourned."

Lucas looked a little nervous as he said, "Who gave you authority?"

Wolf chuckled. "I will say no more, because there is nothing more to say."

Snake sighed in defeat. "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

Wolf high-fived Snake as he left the house. Snake shrugged.

"Well, party's over, I guess." He also left, and soon everyone followed.

Roy nodded to the Ice Climbers. "Don't forget to take your Wii U back with you."

Lucas shrugged before Popo quit the game and turned the system off. Lucas unplugged the device. Soon, only Roy and Red remained.

Red sighed. "I suppose there's nothing to do now."

Roy facepalmed. "I should have asked them to leave the Wii U here. Mario Kart is better than nothing."

Red shrugged, smiling back at him. "It's alright… we should probably get some rest, anyways, considering tomorrow's going to be a long day… we do have an assault to plan, after all."

Roy grinned. "Good point. So, tomorrow, then?" He awkwardly asked.

Red nodded. "I guess so."

As the red-haired swordsman turned back to his room, Red sighed. He stepped inside his own room, wrapping himself in the covers, careful not to disturb his Pokemon, who had settled in their beds, before taking out an old Game Boy with a yellow cartridge inside. Red booted up the system, skipping past the loading screen to reveal his avatar had saved just in front of Zapdos.

Red chuckled. "Ten of every Poke Ball _does_ work in Pokemon Yellow…"


	5. C5: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

**…**

 **Chapter 5: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…**

 **…**

Snake once had cameras implemented _everywhere_. No bathroom, storage closet, or stage was exempt from his surveillance. Of course, all his cameras had been disabled since he was cut, but that didn't stop him from using _other_ means of communication.

Snake sighed as the portable phone gave a final ring before his contact picked up.

"You do know I'm only doing this because I share some of your concerns, right?"

Snake groaned. "We can get through the pleasantries later, Samus. Anyway, what has changed since I left?"

Samus chuckled. "For one thing, they don't allow any of us near the warps anymore. We have tons of newcomers, and the guards have been replaced again."

"Give me all the inside details."

Samus sighed. "All of them? This might take a while… The only newcomers whom I can genuinely trust are Rosalina, the Wii Fit Trainers, the Duck Hunt group, and the Robins, I guess. Dr. Mario is trying to get reacquainted with his friends from Melee, but it hasn't worked too well thus far… he's kinda odd, to be honest. Little Mac never says a word; Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings are becoming more like their father; Mega Man and PAC-MAN don't really interact with the others except for, maybe, Sonic, on occasion; Lucina's still freaking out about the fact that Marth and Ike are in this tournament, but seems kind enough; Shulk is acting a little too friendly to not be suspicious; the Villagers creep the hell out of everyone… well, you get my point."

Snake nodded. "And the guards?"

Samus huffed. "They're not Alloys any more - they're Miis."

Snake's face contorted into an incredulous look. "Those ridiculous things?! But… how do they even fight?"

Samus explained, "Master Hand said that they've been trained in one of three fighting styles: hand-to-hand combat, swordfighting, and long-range. Out of the three classes, the top in each style gets to participate in the tournament, itself."

Snake grimaced. "Well, that's just perfect… I disappear, but random people get to jump in whenever they want."

Samus sighed. "You know it's not like that. If there are no other questions, Over and out."

"Fair enough. Talk to you again some time."

Just as he hung up the phone, a call from an unknown number rang. Snake was utterly confused, since any call had to get through terabytes of FOXHOUND firewalls unless Snake let them in himself.

As he tentatively answered, a semi-familiar voice called out.

"I knooooow about your little scheeeeeeme." It singsonged. "Don't use Dialga to mess with the warps, or you'll be sooooooory!"

The call ended just as soon as it had begun. Snake was puzzled by this new development.

"That voice… it sounded so familiar. But… why?"

Snake was even more perplexed when he got another call from Samus.

"One thing I forgot to tell you: you might be able to sway a couple of the clone characters to your side, like Lucina and Dark Pit."

Snake nodded. "Duly noted. Also, which three Miis are fighting in the tournament?"

Samus groaned. "I was afraid you'd ask that. They've been nothing but annoying since we started this tournament. The first is Val, a Brawler who specializes in throwing shot puts, using an onslaught of punches, having an insanely powerful aerial punching combo, and a jump that mimics mine while in the Zero Suit. As for his personality, he's a typical karate kid- he spars with Little Mac. Next is Mizuho, a Japanese-looking samurai warrior. She uses a flurry of strikes, chakrams, a flurry of sword strikes in one direction, and a move that sends her jetting across the stage or diagonally downwards in the air, kinda like a Falcon Kick… with a sword. Regardless, she seems like the sanest of the three. Lastly is Crater… damn, that kid is annoying. He uses these spammable grenades, a stealth explosive, an arm rocket as recovery, and drops little bombs like my power suit form… His armor is draconic in style, which is a nice touch, but the way he fights is so annoying! I completely detest his moveset."

Snake was silent for a moment. "Is that why you'd been avoiding me... you know, near the end of the tournament?"

Samus must have realized the tactical error she had made and said, "Wait, Snake… I didn't mean it like that."

"I've heard all I have to." were the only words Samus heard before the phone lapsed into a dial tone.

Samus groaned before walking outside of her room. She was spotted by the female Wii Fit Trainer, who waved.

"In top form, Miss Aran?"

Samus faked a smile. "As always…"

The Wii Fit Trainer gave a thumbs-up before saying, "Good to hear. I'll hopefully see you at the meditation session this evening."

As the pale-skinned trainer walked away, Samus' smile vanished as her face formed her trademark emotionless expression before she began walking over towards the dining hall.

…

At least, she would have, if she weren't directly in the path of a Junior Clown Kart.

The owner of the kart, Roy Koopa, shouted at Samus as she was thrown sideways by the sudden hit and straight into the wall.

"Watch where you're walking, why don't you?!"

Samus glared at him once she got off of the ground. "That selfish little…"

"Worry not." a voice said as its owner held a hand up to Samus. "I've talked to Master Hand and scheduled a team battle against the four greatest trouble makers."

Samus accepted the hand up with a nod. "Thank you, Sheik. Who's on the team, currently?"

The Sheikah paused, then took up a pensive pose. "From what I can remember, it's now you, Greninja, Rosalina, and I."

"Rosalina? How did they get her temper to snap?"

Sheik closed her eyes. "They took some of the Lumas she came with in order to build a pillow fortress."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "They got away with it?"

Sheik shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no, you don't understand! She was about to unleash the full fury of the cosmos on them before I convinced her to wait for the battle."

Samus shook her head. "I didn't expect her to have such a temper…"

Sheik's eyes twinkled. "It's a parental thing. Maybe you'll understand one day."

Samus affixed her with a glare that told her never to speak of it again. The ninja shrugged.

"I'm just saying it's a possibility. Geez…"

Samus shook her head. "I guess you still kept Zelda's shipping habits."

"That was only once! I still think Phosphora and Ike would have made a great couple…"

Samus just gave her a look of disgust before sighing.

"Never mind. I'm going to get some dinner now… I'll see you around."

The ninja nodded before teleporting away as Samus continued her walk.

As she continued towards the dining hall, she dodged Pit, who was laughing as an irate Dark Pit chased after him, brandishing his Silver Bow. Palutena warped next to Samus, chuckling.

"They never seem to stop, do they?"

Samus groaned. "Apparently not."

Pit laughed as he kept running. "You'll never catch me, Pittoo!"

Dark Pit just glared as he followed. "You'd be lucky- then I wouldn't have to kill you."

They were stopped when Palutena called out, "Pits, did you guys forget it's dinner time?"

Pit immediately stopped, then rushed at supersonic speed towards the dining room.

Dark Pit groaned and looked to Palutena in annoyance.

"He needs to control himself…" He dashed after Pit, still intent on malevolence.

Palutena shook her head admonishingly before looking to Samus once again. "I can warp us there, if you want."

Samus reluctantly nodded. "I guess. I don't want any more mishaps."

Palutena smiled and yelled, "Warp!" before they were in the dining room, where everyone was already eating. Samus nodded her thanks before walking towards the waning line.

As soon as the bounty hunter looked away, she felt a weight crash into her, sending both Smashers toppling to the floor. Samus groaned.

"Today must not be my day…"

An embarrassed Lucina jumped off of her, frantically saying, "M-My apologies! Please, forgive me! I had no intention to-"

She was cut off by snap. Everyone turned around in an instant to see a stoic Master Hand.

"Enough. We're here to eat, not to cause trouble. I expect Crater to apologize to both Lucina and Samus at some point, but other than that, since we're all here, we should probably teach the newcomers the Smashers' Grace."

Most of the newcomers looked on in interest as many of the veterans groaned and rolled their eyes.

Lucina whispered to Samus, "What's the Smashers' grace?"

Samus whispered back, "It's a custom Master Hand put in back in the first tournament. Apparently, Nintendo wanted us to set a better example for the children… I absolutely loathe it, though."

Master Hand asked, "Mario, would you lead us in the Grace?"

The red-capped plumber begrudgingly nodded, muttering something like, "praying in the presence of goddesses, no less…"

After a brief pause to take off his hat, he began.

"For fun, for glory;

for battle, for camaraderie,

for our continued existence,

We thank our creators and pray

that in their honor, we may live.

Amen."

Master Hand motioned the now-annoyed plumber away before saying, "You may continue whatever it was you were doing, now."

As the glove vanished in a burst of light, Mario sulked back to his table, where Luigi and Princess Peach offered a comforting hand on each of his shoulders as Bowser just laughed uproariously.

Lucina looked confused. "What is bothering Mario?"

Samus sighed. "Every single tournament, Mario's been singled out to say the grace… and very few people actually say it, since they have gods and goddesses back in their own timelines… which they can't get back to."

Lucina paused. "What do you mean, 'can't get back to'?"

Robin (the female) walked up to the duo. "I concur. What do you mean, we can't get back to our own timelines?"

Samus groaned. "Master Hand didn't tell you? Nintendo doesn't know how to warp us to our proper time. While it wouldn't be too much of an issue for you newcomers, _some_ of us have been here for almost 15 years."

Lucina looked down, embarrassed, as Robin just stood there, frozen.

"The… the Shepherds… what do they do?" the tactician asked in a panic.

Samus shrugged. "I've not a clue. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm quite hungry and I've had a rough evening. Good day."

She jumped in the line without a second thought as Lucina led the female Robin, who appeared to be frozen in the midst of her thought process, towards the other Fire Emblem representatives.

Once Samus had received her food, she sat down at her own table, relishing an instant of loneliness.

"I can't possibly imagine how this day can get any worse."

…

"Samus told the newcomers that? I suppose it _is_ what we want them to hear, but… set her up against you - 3v1. She can't just divulge our secrets, can she?"

"NEVAAAARRRR! OFF WITH THEIR HEAAAADS!"

"That's enough, Crazy."

"Aww…"

Master Hand paused before continuing. "Team Attack On, et cetera. You three know the drill."

The two gloves were answered by a series of beeps and blips and three nods before the three figures exited the gloves' office.

Master Hand looked to his brother. "Aren't you the least bit worried that the remaining Smashers are going to break him out again?"

Crazy Hand scoffed. "Pleeeeeease! I've never worried about aaaaaanything in my life!"

Master Hand sighed. "I figured you would say that…"

The right-hand glove suddenly twitched. "I tapped the phone - I know that you know what they plan to do, Crazy."

Crazy Hand, who in the middle of watching an episode of One Piece, said, "Yah. Sooooooo?"

Master Hand clenched into a fist. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Crazy Hand said, "I want to see how it plaaaaaaays out before jumping into the gaaaaame!"

Master Hand slapped his brother in the metaphorical face. "Tell me everything!"

Crazy said, "After I finish season ten."

Master paused, flustered, before he finally sighed. "W-well, fine… I guess you're close, then. What episode are you on?"

"Oooooooh… fifteen."

Master Hand flipped the bird at him before teleporting off to who knows where. Crazy Hand just began laughing evilly as the episode he was watching finally drew to a close.


	6. C6: Grudge Match

**…**

 **Chapter 6: Grudge Match**

 **…**

The sun rose early the next morning. At around 10:00 A.M. in the morning, Wolf chuckled, smiling at his work.

"Well, that settles that. Not only is Netflix up, but we finally have confirmation from the Smash City representatives to watch a couple of the matches on pay-per-view.

Snake scoffed. "Why pay when they have a livestream on Twitch?"

Wolf was stunned. "They have a livestream?"

Snake nodded. "Crazy Hand streams almost every battle, and they've been going since around 8:00 this morning… though, his commentary is often a bit… over-the-top."

Wolf looked to the stream. "Were there any highlights, or has it mostly been one-sided?"

Snake responded, "The former. You just missed an intense match between the one they call Dark Pit and Ness… they're pretty much on par with each other."

Wolf cringed. "A Pit clone? They added a _Pit_ clone and took _me_ out?"

Snake shook his head. "Save that energy for when _we_ take _them_ out."

Wolf shrugged. "Fair enough."

Snake looked at the stream, where Crazy Hand said, "Daaaaaang, that Dark Pit came out on top by a veeeeeeeery small margin! Nevertheless, there's been a biiiiiiiit of a change in the schedule- Now, we have Zeeeeeeeeero Suit Samus versus Samus, R.O.B., and Mr. Gaaaaaaaame & Watch. It's surely going to be a heeeeeeeckuva 2-stock match on the Biiiiiiiig Battlefield!"

Snake looked concerned.

"Why would they put her in a 3v1? She's good, but not _that_ good."

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Fair is foul and foul is fair…"

Snake groaned. "Oh, come on. Shakespeare didn't write classic movies!"

Wolf shrugged. "What's done cannot be undone."

Snake facepalmed with a groan. "Either way, I need to know why they put her in-"

Crazy Hand's voice yelled, "Due to Miss Aran being a heeeeeeckuva blabbermouth about the current state of affairs at Smaaaaaaash Mansion, we set her up with this fuuuuuuuuun battle!"

Wolf nodded. "Warps. It has to be, or else the Hands wouldn't punish her."

Snake just looked on in anticipation, narrowing his eyes.

"I just hope she's going to survive this."

"Agreed."

As soon as Zero Suit Samus (to differentiate, it'll be shortened to ZSS from now on) appeared in the arena, she narrowed her eyes at the three figures on the ground.

"So… you're the ones who sold out to Master Hand…"

The trio made no response, and ZSS took a battle stance.

Just before the countdown began, a new figure appeared on the battlefield - on the opposite side from ZSS. However, the Hands made no effort to stop it.

ZSS narrowed her eyes. "Crater… why are you here?"

Crater chuckled, his blue Dragon Armor glistening in the bright light of the battlefield.

"You honestly think I would pass up an opportunity to show how much I hate you? You're no one's favorite character and a failed excuse for a fighter. The only way you win is by using cheap tactics like the paralyzer. You even get an extra jump that most of us ground-based fighters don't have."

ZSS raised an eyebrow. "I'd be more convinced if you didn't just spam grenades the entire match."

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH HE JUST GOT SEEEEEEEEERVED!" (That was Crazy Hand's commentary, if you hadn't already guessed.)

Crater aimed his arm cannon at her. "We'll see who's really cheap after we win…"

Crazy Hand chuckled. "4vs1… Hmm. ALRIGHT LET'S GOOOOOO!"

Wolf frowned. "Now that's biased…"

Snake sighed. "I expect the rest of it is rigged, too."

 ** _3…_**

 ** _2…_**

 ** _1…_**

 ** _GO!_**

As ZSS charged at her opponents, they just stood there. Crater prepped a grenade while R.O.B. charged a gyro. Just behind them stood Game & Watch, who was just taunting aimlessly, and Samus, who prepped a charge shot. As soon as ZSS was in range, she flung out her whip, ensnaring Crater and sending him flying backwards as R.O.B. mechanically sidestepped the blow. As soon as Samus' shot was fully charged, Game & Watch brought out his bucket and she fired it straight into the bucket, where it was converted to oil.

Wolf's eyes widened. "Oh no… they're going to use _that_ tactic.

Snake scowled. "Cheap… Typical of Master Hand's lapdogs."

Samus was barely holding her own, using her paralyzer to freeze R.O.B. in his tracks before hitting him with her whip. However, she failed to see a stealth explosive from Crater that exploded, sending her back a couple feet. She rushed towards R.O.B., who was about to fire his Robo Beam. Just as it fired, ZSS Flip Jumped over it, landing on the confused robot and burying him deep in the ground. She charged up a downward-facing paralyzer blast and froze him in place before hitting him twice with kicks boosted by her jet boots. Just like that, R.O.B. was down a stock.

Snake was impressed. "She's gotten better than last time."

Wolf shrugged. "Yeah, but Game & Watch's bucket is almost fully charged with three of the Power Suit's blasts…. and that alone can take out a fighter instantly."

Crater dashed towards ZSS and rocket-punched her, sending her flying backwards, before he threw out a grenade that hit the bounty hunter mid-air, exploding in multiple hits and sending her up and back. Fortunately, she threw out her Paralyzer whip and caught the edge.

Game & Watch rang his bell as Samus, R.O.B., and even Crater stepped back.

As soon as ZSS retook the ledge, she saw a bucket-laden Game & Watch headed for her.

However, just as the 2-D fighter threw out the oil with a ringing sound, a figure warped onto the battlefield and yelled, "Counter!"

In an instant, Game & Watch was hit back with incredible force, flying off the stage at "Sonic Speed!"

As her opponents' jaws dropped in shock (figuratively for all but Crater), ZSS gave a rare smile. "Thanks for the save."

Crater narrowed his eyes. "Sure, _she_ gets a guardian angel…"

The figure corrected, "Actually, Pit is more of the guardian angel. _I_ , on the other hand, am a goddess of light and a giver of his powers."

The aforementioned angel, who was watching the match from the audience, was slack-jawed. "Lady Palutena? What are you doing out there on the battlefield?!"

Palutena smirked and retorted, "You think I can't handle myself, Pit?"

Pit was flustered and could barely respond, "N-no, it's not like that at all, Lady Palutena… It's just that… you're not supposed to… interrupt a match as it's going on…"

Palutena said, "You act like I don't know that. In any case, the _real_ Samus, in my opinion, was being punished injustly, and besides, no one likes a shutout. I'm only making it a fairer fight."

Crazy Hand twitched for a moment before yelling, "BRING IT OOOOOOONNNNNN!"

Game and Watch soon reappeared on the battlefield, sitting on the top platform before joining his comrades. Samus began charging another shot as R.O.B. rolled towards Palutena. However, the goddess of light yelled, "Autoreticle!" as a target appeared on the robot before her staff fired three beams of light, all of which kept R.O.B. from moving forward. ZSS then jumped in, dash-attacking the robot and throwing him further backwards into his teammates. Mr. Game & Watch, not one to lose momentum, jumped and pulled out a 2-D turtle (from who-knows-where), hitting her thrice and sending her backwards. Palutena followed up with her own dash attack, sending the 2-D mascot backwards a small bit. She then flung out her staff, which spun and threw Game & Watch back into the amalgamation of fighters.

Crater, upset, yelled, "Screw this! It's time for a ^(*&ing team attack!"

Crazy Hand whooped. "Hell yeah! 'Murica!"

Snake and Wolf both sweatdropped at the commentary.

"Okay, I get that we're in America, but that line holds virtually no significance, right?" Wolf asked.

Snake shrugged. "Beats me. I haven't understood slang for years."

Back at the stadium, the fighters got into formation. Samus had fully charged her cannon by now, and the light on R.O.B.'s head was blinking.

"Fire!" Crater yelled. He fired a grenade as Samus fired its charge shot and R.O.B. fired its fully charged lazer.

Palutena giggled and said, "They never learn, do they? Reflect!" An octagonal barrier of light appeared, which deflected the grenade, Charge Shot, and Robo Beam back at their targets. R.O.B. sidestepped, but Samus and Crater weren't so lucky. Crater Shielded the Charge Shot, but his shield broke at the sheer power, which left the Mii dazed. Samus was hit by the grenade and the Robo Beam, sending it sprawling backward several feet. Game & Watch just stared, confused, at the onlookers before moving to the top platform again and taunting.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT A STUPIDLY IRONIC TURN OF EVENTS!" Crazy Hand yelled.

ZSS smirked, running up to Crater and down-blasted her Paralyzer, freezing him in place for even longer. She then hit him with her double jet kick maneuver, sending him flying off of the stage and out of a stock.

"I DIDN'T PAY FOR THIS, YOU IDIOTS!" Crazy Hand yelled from the sidelines.

Wolf turned from the screen to Snake. "How does a Hand pay for anything, anyways?"

Snake shrugged. "Beats me."

Game & Watch jumped in at the two women, who were both standing together, and swung his hammer in a Judge attack. Crazy Hand spitefully snapped his fingers, and the roulette chose a "9." We can probably all tell what that means…

"Oh no!"

"AAAAUAUUUAUAAAAGGGHHHH!"

Needless to say, they were both down a stock. Samus mock-saluted them as Crater chuckled to himself.

ZSS narrowed her eyes as they both reappeared on floating platforms.

"Another hit like that, and we're out of here!"

"Well, let's make sure that doesn't happen, okay?" The goddess answered.

ZSS nodded before jumping down to the main floor of the stage, flinging out her laser whip and hitting Samus. Palutena followed by jumping down and twirling her staff, getting in several hits on the suit of high-tech armor.

Crater followed up by trying to hit Palutena with a Stealth Burst explosive, but she giggled and spot-dodged, vanishing for the instant that the bomb exploded. She then jumped up and twirled her staff again, hitting Crater off the stage. R.O.B. tried to use his Arm Rotor attack to hit Palutena, but Game & Watch jumped in, probably trying to go for another "9." The 2-D man was spun like a washing machine and thrown back away from the goddess as R.O.B. walked back to check on his teammate.

Crazy Hand was quickly getting frustrated, his fingers taking on a reddish hue.

"YoU"rE TeStInG WHAt PaTiENCE I Don"T HAVe!"

ZSS Flip-Jumped on top of Crater, who was trying to recover with his arm rocket, sending the Mii Gunner down off the stage.

"How could I be the first to lose? You're gonna pay for this!"

As ZSS used her Jump Kick to recover to the ledge, Samus jumped and tried to fire a missile, but Palutena reflected it with a smile.

She then aimed her staff at Samus and its tip glowed, hitting Samus several times and sending the Power Suit flying backwards and onto the leftmost platform.

ZSS jumped up, only to be met by Mr. Game & Watch, who aimed his hammer at her. The bounty hunter couldn't get up her shield in time as Crazy Hand snapped his fingers again.

…

The roulette read a 1, and ZSS took the opportunity to grab Game & Watch, pummel him a few times, and kick him down against the stage, sending him flying upward.

"0H C0m3 0N!" Crazy Hand screamed.

ZSS jumped up and finished off Game & Watch's stock with a Boost Kick.

Palutena cheered. "Alright!"

However, Samus took advantage of her distraction and charged up a forward-Smash. Palutena noticed soon after and materialized her wings to attack. The two attacks hit, and both characters were sent spiraling off into the distance, losing a stock apiece.

ZSS, showing a rare moment of concern, panicked. "Palutena!"

R.O.B. hit ZSS with his Robo Beam, sending her slightly backward.

ZSS narrowed her eyes, focusing on the crowd.

When Samus respawned, the Power Suit, oddly, was glowing white instead of its usual coloration. Suddenly, the Power Suit began firing missiles at R.O.B., leaving a stunned ZSS staring at her former opponent.

Samus comboed the other robot relentlessly, dealing heavy damage to her teammate before R.O.B. recovered by using his Arm Rotor to send the Power Suit spiraling backwards.

Samus and R.O.B. both charged at each other before a glowing, red fist slammed down on both of them, causing them to automatically lose a stock.

ZSS began to shy away from the insane Hand, her cold demeanor suddenly breaking.

"TH15 w45 N0t Sgouea4 5!#%(^ *(#$ #$ 2934FSG4EYEQS AAW4NUU0245 2$2453845 # )%($ OAP E(E)FEAWE_W(e0r3!"

Breaking off into unintelligible gibberish **(As you could probably tell)** , Crazy Hand was glowing red-and-black, an intense aura surrounding him.

Snake and Wolf both looked at each other with solemn expressions.

"That's what I think it is, isn't it?" Wolf asked.

Snake nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. On only the first day of fighting, they have a code Omega."

The stands were in panic as many of the spectators flailed around and rushed to the exits in a frenzy. Smashers from the stands with projectiles began firing, sending Darkness Arrows, Din's Fires, PK Thunders, and even some Megavitamins at the embodiment of madness. However, Crazy Hand's aura exploded, eliminating the projectiles and obliterating all of the platforms on the Big Battlefield. He then teleported up to ZSS and backhanded her, sending the bounty hunter flying off the side, losing her last stock.

Master Hand rushed in after a second, putting forth his best effort to quell his brother as the Twitch livestream finally dissolved into static.

Wolf looked back at the Complex. "We have to get back in there. If anything else, we can help them."

Snake put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "As much as I want to help them, we can't let them know of our plan just yet."

"I guess you're right. Those who get KOed here will just go to a safe room, right?"

Snake nodded. "If you can truly call it safe… Either way, we should call a meeting to tell the others what happened. Perhaps we can move up our agenda."

Wolf gave a satisfied grin before saying, "Round up the usual suspects!"

Snake gave a harangued sigh and a shake of his head before walking out the door of the small room.


	7. C7: A Rallying Call

**…**

 **Chapter 7: A Rallying Call**

 **…**

Lucas opened the door slowly, revealing the others already inside. They were currently laughing at a story Roy had told. Even Wolf was chuckling lightly as Snake just stood off to the sidelines, cigarette and lighter in his hand.

As soon as Lucas stepped inside the door, Popo and Nana rushed up to him and dragged him towards the Wii U.

"Come on! We need you for the next race! The Grand Prix is about to start!" Nana excitedly said.

"Yeah! Pick your character already!" Popo added.

Lucas couldn't help but smile. "I'm going, I'm going!"

As soon as they reached the TV, Lucas was a little surprised to see Red as player four, tentatively holding a borrowed Wii Remote with a wheel on it.

"Umm… these controls are a little like Double Dash, right?" he sheepishly asked.

Popo nodded, a little bit proudly. "Like any other Mario Kart game out there - 2 to go, 1 to slow down, and the back button to use items. Also, you turn the wheel to turn your kart."

Red was a little baffled, but sunk down in this chair. Lucas half-grinned.

"Maybe I won't be in last place _every_ time now…"

Nana frowned at her brother. "He did mention Double Dash- why are you giving him a Wii Wheel? That's one of the hardest controls out there, especially with little driving experience. Why not a GameCube controller?"

Red shrugged. "I mean, I'll try my best…"

They soon chose their characters, with Popo playing as Bowser, Nana picking Pink Gold Peach, Lucas as his Mii, and Red as Ludwig Von Koopa. The match soon began, with the four racers making comments about their current place and each and every one of the Item shenanigans.

Snake sighed as he took another drag from his cigarette and sighed, pondering to himself.

 _"I'd hate to break up their fun… But I need to tell them what happened today."_

Wolf commented, "You're not too bad after all… Roy, was it?"

Roy shrugged. "Thanks, I guess…"

Wolf sighed. "I guess us clones have to stick together, huh?"

Young Link, Roy, and Pichu cringed at the word. Lucas dropped his controller, his Mii driver falling off of Mario Kart 64's Rainbow Road.

Snake gave him a death glare. "Now that Wolf has cleared all conversation, I suppose I should tell you all why I've called you here today."

Everyone stared at him with an "honestly?" face before he continued, a sullen expression on his face.

"There was a Code Omega at the Complex this morning. We need to advance our plans of attack."

…

Just after the Melee tournament ended, a fountain had been built in the center of Smash City, with the Smash Bros. Logo engraved in the bottom and a large "N" on a platform above the water in the center. The only water that flowed was from the top of the "N," which hit the very edge of the fountain and caused occasional, small ripples. Without warning, the fairly calm water began rippling from the center of the fountain, growing turbulent and swirling around violently for several seconds before, just as quickly, it became completely still.

…

Each fighter in the room gasped, bar Wolf, who gave a solemn nod.

"We don't know what's going on, but Crazy Hand is a little bit less sane than I remember… and, if Snake's intel is correct, there were only two other Code Omegas in the history of Smash."

Roy added, "One during the Melee tournament in a 2 vs. Hands match…"

Lucas spoke softly, his eyes filled with fear. "And another in the Classic sector of the Brawl tournament…"

Nana put a comforting hand on his shoulder with a sad smile as Young Link nodded.

"So, we need to attack soon… before another Code Omega hurts more Smashers."

Snake sighed. "Agreed. The Power Suit AI and R.O.B. were both completely destroyed by the Omega-Form Crazy Hand, and Samus may have broken a couple of bones."

Wolf froze. "You mean Crazy Hand-Omega was able to break through the Smash Zone's restrictive properties?"

Snake nodded. "If the Smash Zones that normally protect us make no difference to that monster, who knows who might be hurt in the near future?"

A tense silence enveloped the room before Roy spoke. "I say we strike tonight. They won't be expecting something this early in the newest tournament."

Wolf snarled at him. "Hey, I give the orders around here!"

Roy raised an eye in confusion before Wolf grinned. "I say we go tonight to avoid suspicion."

The Pheraean lord scoffed. "I think he might be on to something."

Wolf smirked. "Is it just me, or did the word, _"Think"_ escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!"

Roy glared at him. "Do you want me to send you back to where you were… unemployed in Greenland?"

Wolf grinned toothily. "Not bad, grasshopper."

Roy groaned. "Can we just devise a plan of attack, or something?"

Snake smiled. "I think I've got an idea."

The entire group huddled around the FOXHOUND operative as he began whispering to them.

Various "hoos" and "hahs"… I'm sorry, "oohs" and "aahs" permeated the conversation before everyone smiled.

"I like it." Wolf stated.

"It's sneaky…" Young Link said.

"And it just…" Red smiled.

"Might…" Roy smiled.

"Work!" Everyone cheered in unison as they continued elaborating on their plan of attack.

…

Dr. Mario had only handled a crisis like this once before in his entire career, back when Roy and Marth decided to go two-on-two versus the Hands. He remembered that day pretty clearly, shivering as the memory came to the forefront of his mind.

 _…Begin_Flashback/Several_Years_Earlier_

 _Dr. Mario gave a thumbs-up to Roy and Marth, who were set to warp to Battlefield, strangely enough, to finally face the Hands. He was standing directly by Peach, the Ice Climbers, and Mewtwo, who was hovering with his eyes closed._

 _Peach, of course, was optimistic for the task at hand, and the Ice Climbers were always there for support._

 _"You've got this, you two!" Peach said sweetly._

 _Nana smiled. "For sure! I know you can do this!"_

 _Popo grinned. "I've already bet my money that you're going to take this within five minutes!"_

 _Marth blushed slightly and muttered something in Japanese before Roy answered, "Thank you, my friends."_

 _Dr. Mario smiled. "Good luck-a, you all… be-a careful out there."_

 _Roy smiled. "Nothing we cannot handle."_

 _Mewtwo opened his eyes._ _"Do not be arrogant, lord of Pherae. I sense a great danger before you, one which can hurt you even more than you think."_

 _Roy still had a confident grin. "We shall handle them… do not worry."_

 _As the two waved before entering the warps, Mewtwo turned to Dr. Mario._

 _"Be prepared… they do not know of the danger that awaits them."_

 _Dr. Mario had his eyes plastered on the match from the TV outside of the warp station with newfound concern._

 _…_

 _As soon as the match began, Roy and Marth both focused on Master Hand, hitting him with several powerful sweet-spot attacks. Peach smiled and cheered for them as Mewtwo looked down solemnly._

 _"This is exactly what I feared…"_ _The Legendary Pokémon stated._

 _Dr. Mario looked at Mewtwo, confused._

 _"What do-a you mean?" He inquired._

 _Mewtwo sighed, his face tinted with sadness._ _"If there is one thing I've learned from keeping Psychic surveillance over Final Destination and the Battlefield, it's to never leave Crazy Hand alone."_

 _Dr. Mario turned to look in confusion as Crazy Hand spiralled towards Marth and Roy, spinning like an electrified drill, but both fighters just dodged and resumed their assault._

 _Crazy Hand started glowing red as Master Hand's health steadily decreased._

 _Mewtwo closed his eyes, looking away._

 _"And so, it begins."_

 _Master Hand suddenly flinched before crashing off the stage in a fiery inferno. Crazy Hand was surrounded by a fierce red aura now, its fist opening and closing sporadically._

 _"YoU… U Br0hk m4H Br0! NEwrwRSNTO 3We251346EAWS_EDWA6346 3636 346 316SRIDFCq qwASRERDqAwe…"_

 _Dissolving into gibberish, a greek "Omega" symbol appeared in black on the back of the Hand as a red-and-black aura exploded around it, destroying all three platforms on the battlefield, turning it into a Final Destination-esque stage, and sending Marth and Roy back to the edge of the stage. Even the core at the center of Battlefield began swirling with black energy._

 _Every onlooker watched in shock as Mewtwo sprang into action._

 _"I'm going to try to contain it. You three, stay calm. Doc, be ready if I need help getting out of this."_

 _With that, Mewtwo teleported onto the stage, glowing in purple energy. Roy and Marth were both startled by Mewtwo's sudden appearance._

 _"Get out of here now!"_ _Mewtwo telepathically yelled at them._ _"It's too dangerous! Lose the battle now while I take care of this mess!"_

 _Marth shook his head defiantly. "We cannot leave you to this by yourself."_

 _Suddenly, Crazy Hand launched one large laser beam at each of his three targets. Though Mewtwo formed a psychic shield that deflected the attack effortlessly, Marth and Roy both held their swords in front of them and let their blades take the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, the laser pushed them far off the stage, and both of them could barely recover in time._

 _"See what I mean? That was one of his weaker attacks."_

 _Nodding at Mewtwo's words, he and Roy both jumped off the edge, losing their stocks._

 _Crazy Hand boiled into more of a rage, spinning and flailing around. "( #U$TGN RWEAS$ER9erqw*$STgVQEASENF QW EFVUEQ(ASE RCQW ERF QWSER( #QVA S90W4HT VQEWERFQVE*ARSDFC(W4s EGJQE9Ej RWr gksJVOS( RS9 WIRG JSSI jgIR jg(W$ TE(G EASDF EA rf!"_

 _Mewtwo scoffed._ _"You're acting like an impudent child… I guess that will make it that much harder to weaken you."_

 _The Legendary Pokémon's purple aura exploded around it as Crazy Hand's red-and-black aura pulsated._

 _Both creatures rushed at each other, Crazy Hand spinning like a drill and Mewtwo dashing via telekinesis. As soon as they were about to collide, Mewtwo fired off a Disable, freezing the Hand in its tracks, before using Psychic to slam it into the stage. Crazy Hand retaliated by vanishing and reappearing next to Mewtwo, giving the Pokemon's energy shield a backhand before vanishing again, trying to hit Mewtwo from the background of the stage while spinning like a drill. Mewtwo recovered in time to hover back towards the stage and Teleport in the nick of time out of the way of Crazy Hand's drill attack. As Crazy Hand slowly returned to the stage, Mewtwo charged up a Shadow Ball and shot it at the Hand. However, a black vortex appeared in between the two combatants and absorbed the dark energy._

 _"Just as I suspected,"_ _Mewtwo scowled in understanding._ _"The stage is helping him… that's why his power is so great."_

 _Mewtwo's eyes began glowing blue as it raised a hand covered in similar energy. Crazy Hand's aura repelled the energy, so Mewtwo chose the only remaining target, which was swirling and pulsating with dark energy - the core at the center of the stage. Mewtwo cringed, sweat pouring down his face as he tried mentally striking the core, which built up its defenses almost as quickly as Mewtwo could break them._

"Come on…" _Mewtwo complained as it poured more effort into its psychic attack. The core frantically swirled in dark energy as Crazy Hand flailed faster and faster until finally,_

 _Mewtwo collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. Battlefield's core immediately stopped glowing, returning to its usual rainbow coloration. Crazy Hand's aura began to weaken, but he clenched his fist and zoomed at Mewtwo. The Genetic Pok_ _é_ _mon was able to put up its shield in time to weaken the blow, but it was sent offstage. As Mewtwo hovered back telekinetically, Crazy Hand initiated "The Poke of Death," at supersonic speed. Though Mewtwo was able to re-erect its psychic barrier, it was visibly strained, the purple aura that surrounded it weakening and its limbs shaking as it tried to keep up its defense against the near-infinite power of the Poke of Death._

 _Dr. Mario nodded. "It's-a time I helped out." Just before he reached the warp, he was stopped by a hand. He was shocked to see who was standing in front of him._

 _"Ganondorf? Wha… why are-a you here?"_

 _Ganondorf chuckled, though it sounded as creepy as ever. "As strange as it seems, that Pokémon is one of my closest allies. It has helped me rein in my desire to control this place and, instead, settle for annihilating you all in battle."_

 _Princess Peach gave a knowing grin as the Ice Climbers just looked at each other in shock._

 _"Ganondorf has friends?" Popo gasped._

 _Nana just frowned. "Really, Popo? You didn't have to say it like that…"_

 _Ganondorf growled, causing Nana and Popo to hold onto each other in fear, trembling under the Dark Lord's gaze._

 _"Don't make me regret my decision, brats…"_

 _With those words and a silent nod from Dr. Mario, Ganondorf stepped into the warp to Battlefield, the Triforce of Power illuminated in a bright, golden glow on his wrist._

 _…_

 _Mewtwo was thrown back as a final Poke of Death broke the barrier, sending it back to the floor, barely conscious. As Crazy Hand spun forward, preparing for a final blow, Ganondorf appeared from the warp, charging a Warlock Punch. As soon as Crazy Hand was in range, the Gerudo let his punch fly, sending the insane appendage back several feet, shaking and spazzing. Ganondorf chuckled once again._

 _Mewtwo looked at his savior in awe._

 _"Ganondorf…"_ _Mewtwo barely managed to say._

 _Ganondorf took a serious expression. "That thing's dark power is massive. I doubt even the Master Sword would be able to purify it."_

 _Mewtwo nodded._ _"Agreed. However, I should be able to seal that power away if you stall enough time for me to recover."_

 _Ganondorf smirked haughtily. "Fine by me, as long as I can Warlock Punch it to smithereens."_

 _He then taunted, spinning around as a ring of fire enveloped him, blazing outwards in a corona of dark aura as his body began growing and morphing. Crazy Hand stopped flailing for a moment to watch the transformation as where Ganondorf once stood was a ferocious, boar-like creature brandishing two swords: his feral form, Ganon. The onlookers just stared in awe as Ganon charged the Hand. Crazy Hand's aura pulsed once again before it charged at its foe, meeting Ganon's two swords with its clenched fist._

 _Mewtwo was absorbing energy from his surroundings, cloaked in a harsh white light as Ganon breathed dark magic at its attacker. Crazy Hand was sent flying backwards before it opened its fingers and fired a barrage of missiles at its foe. Ganon was able to slash through and neutralize several of the missiles, but each direct hit sent him further off-balance. Just when Ganon was about to topple over, he felt a powerful psychic energy surround him and pull him back to his feet. Ganon chuckled, sounding more maniacal than ever as a fully healed Mewtwo hovered up beside him._

 _"Just keep him in one place."_ _Mewtwo commanded._

 _Ganon obliged, sheathing his swords and grabbing onto the monstrous hand, though its aura began to burn its skin. Ganon howled in pain as Mewtwo glowed in a dazzling blue energy, encasing Crazy Hand in this coloration as its aura slowly began to shrink. Crazy Hand redoubled its efforts to writhe out of Ganon's grip, but the King of Darkness wouldn't budge. As soon as the aura receded into nothing, Crazy Hand returned to… as much sense as it had, and the match immediately ended with "No Contest." Both a once again normal-sized Ganondorf and Mewtwo were expunged from the warps, with an eerie, "s0Rry!" following them. Mewtwo immediately collapsed, unconscious, while Ganondorf held both of his arms out in front of him, steam rising from his burnt forearms. The King of Darkness cringed as Dr. Mario rushed to them._

 _"Oh my!" Princess Peach gasped as Nana and Popo frowned, fearful. Dr. Mario calmly looked at the duo._

 _"Ganondorf, follow me to-a the infirmary. I'll-a carry Mewtwo."_

 _True to his word, Dr. Mario slung the too-light, unconscious Pokémon over his shoulders and began leading a frustrated Ganondorf towards the infirmary._

 _…_ _End_Flashback_ _…_

Dr. Mario sternly looked at ZSS, who was barely keeping a calm demeanor.

"Several broken ribs? A concussion? I suppose Crazy Hand must have-a stepped up his game from-a last time."

ZSS rolled her eyes before cringing once again.

Dr. Mario smiled sadly. "Hey, at-a least you're going to be able to-a fight within a week, at most. Remember, Mewtwo was in a coma for-a three weeks, and Ganondorf had his arms in-a casts for about the same amount of time."

ZSS glared at the Doctor. "Just… get… it… over with!"

Dr. Mario scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he said, "Oh, a-right. My bad." He went to his cabinet and pulled out two small, yellow-and-blue pills from a selection, placing them on a tray and setting them beside her hospital bed before reaching to go fill up a glass of water.

"The blue will-a help ease the pain and-a the yellow will fix your bones. Do you want to take them-a one at a time, or both?"

ZSS raised her middle finger at him. Dr. Mario huffed.

"One it is-a, then."

He tilted the head of her bed upwards so he could more easily feed her the pills. After a brief and awkward struggle, Samus' tenseness dissolved, though her anger remained. She snatched the glass of water away from him.

"I'll do the other one on my own, thanks."

Dr. Mario gave her an odd stare before sighing.

"Alright, fine. The healing will-a take a while to happen, so I-a recommend you stay-a here. Is there anyone-a you want to come see you?"

Samus paused for a moment before responding, "I guess you can tell Zelda and Palutena they can come in. No one else, though."

Dr. Mario sighed. "Fine, fine. See-a you around."

He closed the door behind him, but was immediately knocked over by Captain Falcon, the male Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, Marth, and Shulk.

"Is she okay?" Robin asked.

Shulk nodded. "Please, Doc. Give us a vision on her status!"

Captain Falcon nodded. "Come on! Tell us!"

Dr. Mario scoffed as he rose. "Fine, fine, I'll tell you… but let up from-a me!"

They all backed up, though Captain Falcon and Shulk were a little hesitant.

Dr. Mario adjusted his tie and righted his doctor's-light-headband before speaking.

"She'll be fine in about a week. No one except-a those she wants to let in are allowed to see her."

Falcon chuckled before reaching for the door. "Yes! I'm sure she allowed me in!"

Dr. Mario slapped his hand away, saying, "Not-a chance, Falcon. Only Zelda and Palutena are allowed in, for now."

The Captain looked away, muttering, "Falcon sulk…" before lumbering away. Marth and Robin also took their leave.

The Wii Fit Trainer said, "Is there any way that I or my sister can help in the rehabilitation process?"

Dr. Mario gave a hint of a smile. "Not at the moment, but during the later stages, it will be critical for-a you to help her regain her peak level of fitness."

The Wii Fit Trainer nodded with a smile. "Very well. We'll wait on your signal." With that, the male Trainer stepped away with a spring in his step.

Shulk looked at the floor before Dr. Mario spoke up. "Shouldn't you be-a helping out with the rebuild?"

Shulk stuttered, "I- I was just taking a break to see her condition…"

Dr. Mario glared at him. "You know now. Get away from-a my patient before I'm required to-a use lethal force."

Both the Monado slung on Shulk's back and Shulk's eyes started glowing simultaneously started glowing blue, and after a few seconds, Shulk took on a horrified expression and stepped slowly away from the doctor before dashing back to the rebuilding station.

Dr. Mario smirked. "I-a wasn't kidding."

…

ZSS was attempting to take a nap when the communicator she always had with her began buzzing and vibrating. She groaned before picking up the device, noting it had one text message on it.

 **We heard about the situation. We** **'** **re going to strike tonight. Warn no one.**

 **By the way, you feeling okay?**

ZSS blinked in shock as she texted him back,

 **What do you mean,** **"** **Strike** **"** **? Aren** **'** **t you just going to show Master Hand something and get out?**

Several tense seconds felt like minutes before Snake responded.

 **I can** **'** **t risk another Code Omega. Yes, we are going to work on the warps, but we may have to take some** **…** **desperate measures.**

ZSS was aghast.

 **You can** **'** **t do that! That** **'** **s suicide!**

Snake was unshaken, however.

 **Desperate times** **…**

ZSS sighed as she gave up trying to convince him.

 **Good luck, then.**


	8. C8: Mission: Intense

**…**

 **C8: Mission: Intense**

 **…**

Early that evening, at around 7 P.M., just as the sun was beginning to set, the conspirators met at Wolf and Snake's cabin, which could barely accommodate the entire group. All of them were dressed in as dark of clothes as possible to blend in with the night: Snake was in his Splitter camouflage, Wolf had scientifically changed his fur color to black **(don** **'** **t ask - Nintendo logic)** and wore a similarly colored uniform, the Ice Climbers were in grey or black parkas, Pichu was wearing a black headband that Snake had given him, Young Link wore his black tunic, Lucas wore a green-and-orange shirt with black shorts and shoes and he had slicked back his hair so it looked like an eerie green; well, I'm sure you get the gist.

"So," Snake said, "From the little information I've gathered on their surveillance, they put a lot of trust in overpowered Mii Fighters."

Lucas frowned. "What do you mean by 'overpowered'?"

Wolf clarified, "They've been outfitted with custom equipment that increases their defense by a gigantic degree."

Lucas frowned. "So they won't go down easily…"

Snake smirked. "But, they're not very fast. So, we should send in some of our faster fighters to deal with them while the more tactical fighters help out from the background with projectiles.

Roy jumped in with, "I think the Melee cuts should start out. Me, Young Link, and Pichu are pretty fast, and the rest of you have pretty good projectiles."

Wolf nodded. "The kid's got a point. Even though we like to steal the show, we're pretty darn good support."

Popo then raised his hand. "I think my sister and I would do more damage from up front."

Snake nodded. "Request granted. It only makes sense."

Young Link asked, "So, once we get inside, where do we go?"

Snake smirked. "Well, the size of the Complex has changed a lot in order to accommodate many more fighters and stages, but the location of the Warps has not. As such, we need to get to the center of the compound while attracting as little attention as possible."

The Smashers surrounding him nodded, looks of determination on their faces.

Snake smiled. "In three hours, we strike."

…

Despite the fact that Mii Fighters were made to be completely customizable for each person, they were often modeled off of famous people, whether historical figures, anime protagonists, or, in this case, video game characters.

A Mii Swordfighter wearing Plate Armor that depicted Kalos Elite Four member Wikstrom polished his sword, stifling a yawn.

" 'Tis rather unfortunate that we were chosen for this night shift on only the first day of watch, correct, my brother-in-arms?"

Groaning in displeasure, a Mii Gunner clad in armor that represented Proto Man from the Mega Man series **(who I** **'** **m calling Proto Mii)** simply shrugged.

Wikstrom lamented, " 'Tis a pity that the beautiful lady Mizuho was forced against her will to participate in this insane tournament, is it not?"

Proto Mii merely silenced him with a sharp glare.

Wikstrom returned the blank stare, then said, "Thou art not helping this night become any less of a waste of time."

Proto Mii responded, "There's no point for us to be here anyways. It's only the second night - why do they need any guard?"

Wikstrom nodded, answering, "Verily, my brother-in-ar-"

Wikstrom was cut off when a small bolt of electricity zapped his metal armor, causing the Mii to cringe at the shock. Proto Mii readied his arm cannon (though he preferred to call it his Proto Buster), charging up a Charge Shot.

Pichu and the Ice Climbers jumped out of the bushes, the Climbers holding their hammers tightly while Pichu bent down on all fours.

Wikstrom readied his blade as Proto Mii aimed his arm cannon at the Pokémon.

"State your business," Proto Mii demanded of the intruders.

Popo answered, "We don't have to tell you anything."

Proto Mii closed his eyes. "Then you leave us no choice…"

Proto Mii fired off his Charge Shot at Pichu, who was able to jump over it. As the Charge Shot continued to advance towards the large group that was still hiding, Young Link frantically moved his Kokiri Shield to the front of the bush they were hiding behind. Upon contact, the Charge Shot vanished without a trace with a metallic "clang!" The Smashers still hiding all released breaths they didn't even realize they were holding.

Wikstrom lunged at his assailants with a Slash Launcher, but the Ice Climbers countered with their Squall Hammers, sending the Mii for a loop.

Seeing the commotion, a couple of fighters from inside stepped out to see what the ruckus was.

"What's that? Who's there?" a lone figure called.

Another joined it a second later. "Who's attacking us, Dark Pit?"

Dark Pit readied his silver bow, charging an arrow. "No idea, but they're going down!"

Just as he fired a dark arrow at Pichu, Young Link rolled beside him and blocked it with his Kokiri Shield.

The figure next to Dark Pit was aghast.

"Y… Young Link?"

Young Link grinned childishly. "Good to see you again, Sheik!"

Sheik glared at him, Vanished and reappeared in front of the young Hylian, grabbed him by his tunic and held him up.

"You know you're not supposed to be here…" Sheik scolded.

Young Link looked back with determination, saying, "We have a very good reason to break back in."

Sheik held a grenade in her hand, her face livid.

"I don't care. You're trespassing on a restricted area, and I know how to deal with trespassers."

Dark Pit smirked. "That little creep deserves it, if he was cut…"

However, Dark Pit was met by semi-charged Flare Blade from Roy, who jumped out of the darkness and proceeded to meet Dark Pit with a Double-Edge Dance.

"Don't you dare say that about my friend!"

Sheik was momentarily distracted by Roy's surprise attack, which allowed Lucas to pull off a "PK Freeze!" on the door, freezing it open.

Sheik knew where this was going and tried to rush back in to warn the others, but was stopped at the sight of Roy, whose blade was stuck in the ground beside an unconscious Dark Pit, whose tunic was charred and tattered.

Roy sighed. "Please… trust me, Sheik. We know how to fix the warps."

Sheik's face turned to shock, and even the Miis stopped fighting to hear the details.

Roy smiled as he continued, "We can send you back to your proper time. We just need to get to the warping area and put our plan into motion."

After a brief moment of thought, Sheik put away her grenade and nodded.

"I'll clear the way for you," she offered, "but Dark Pit might be too much evidence for me to cover up."

Snake stepped out of the bushes and said, "I've got that covered."

He then opened a satchel that he had slung over his shoulder, reaching deep into the bag and pulling out a Heart Container. Sheik's eyes widened as he offered her the item.

"This should get him conscious again. I'm sure he has other tunics?"

Sheik gave a dumbfounded nod as she grabbed Dark Pit and motioned the others inside. The Mii Fighters looked at one another, fear in their eyes.

"Wh-what if Master Hand finds out we let them in?" Proto Mii asked his compatriot.

"W-well, then we'd best be begging for our lives!" Wikstrom responded, frightened.

Proto Mii and Wikstrom rushed at the group, screaming at the top of their lungs. However, they were met by a Blizzard from the Ice Climbers, which froze both attackers in place.

Wolf chuckled at the Miis' misfortune as he stepped out of the bushes alongside Lucas and Red.

"I hope they don't hold it against us, but I doubt those frozen hearts will ever let it go…" Wolf snidely commented.

Lucas smiled slightly as Red rolled his eyes. "Let's just go!"

The entire group piled in after Sheik, walking towards the center of the compound.

…

Master Hand was watching the security cameras, finding the group of ten Smashers, both previous and current, run towards the center of the complex.

"L3t mE G0!" Crazy Hand screamed, bound by golden energy shackles on each of his fingers and wrist.

Master Hand sighed. "All in good time, my dear brother. Until then, I need to make sure your Omega powers don't cause too many problems for us."

Crazy Hand pointed to the group. "S0 UR Ju5t L3Tt1ng th3M g3T 4w4y wiTh 1t?

"They think they have the answer… but they will find they were quite wrong. Regardless, this needs to happen. We need to put this problem behind us, once and for all, and I know the Smashers will be able to get past it."

Master Hand was interrupted by an alarm siren within the Hands' office.

"Wh-what?" Master Hand stood there, stunned. "Something has changed since I last monitored the problem?"

Crazy Hand laughed maniacally. "Y3eee33EEE3eesssss! More kaos for M3!"

Master Hand paused. "I can't diffuse them…" It pressed a button before turning away from the group.

"Mansionwide Smash Zones reinforced." a feminine, but mechanical voice responded.

"I hope you're ready for a new challenge, Smash Brothers… One that may test your very lives."

…

Sheik and the other Smashers dashed down one of the residential corridors. Sheik muttered,

"It's just this way."

As the group turned the corner, they heard, "Stop right there!"

Sheik and the others screeched to a halt, met by a rival group of Smashers.

Pit, Palutena, Diddy Kong, Ness, the Robins, Lucina, and Marth stood in front of them.

Marth immediately dropped Falchion, and Ness started crying.

"Nakama…" Marth stated in shock before Roy looked away, his eyes closing. Lucas couldn't bear it anymore, tears flowing freely as he saw his friend again.

"Let us through!" Sheik yelled.

"I thought you'd be the first to know— We can't do that!" Pit returned.

"Now, Pit, don't be hasty." Palutena admonished. "We have to know why they're here first."

Red stepped forward. "I have a plan to be able to fix the warps. Let us pass so we can all go home after this is over."

The other Smashers gasped, and a tense hush overtook both sides. Marth finally broke the silence.

"We'll guard the hallways for you. We need to make sure this works."

Roy grinned. "Then let's get this fire burning!"

The other Smashers chuckled as the larger group ran together towards the Warp hallway. Ness caught up to Lucas and both of them high-fived.

Ness admitted, "I missed everyone, especially you… It just wasn't as fun without a friend I could trust."

In between gasps, Lucas smiled. "I missed you too, Ness."

Ness grinned as the group turned down the last corner.

…

Charizard hated the new girl. That's all there was to it.

Pikachu and Jigglypuff were quick to warm up to… Serena, or whatever her name was, that Master Hand had brought from the newer generation of Pokémon to take care of them in the absence of… his best friend.

Lucario agreed with him, quickly turning down the girl's notions to "brush his fur" or "take a bath to get the dirt out," instead insisting that he was an independent, competent entity who could decide for himself what his habits were.

Of course, Greninja was her starter Pokémon, and despite not usually being much of a talker, he had shared some information with the other Pokemon about Mewtwo - that Serena had somehow caught the legendary in an Unknown Dungeon and the Hands were training it for Smash whenever they had spare time.

This, of course, led Pikachu and Jigglypuff to wonder what happened to the Mewtwo who fought during the Melee tournament - and none of them knew.

Regardless, Serena didn't like the way Charizard acted around her, but Charizard didn't like the way she acted in general.

The only way Charizard would Mega Evolve for its new Final Smash was to think of his Trainer and his former comrades - It had happened early in the morning, just before the Ness and Dark Pit match. Obviously, Serena felt she had achieved something by having him Mega Evolve.

But Incendius knew better.

And, Incendius recognized the sound of its trainer's voice.

So, as soon as the group passed the Pokémon's room, Incendius bolted awake. As stealthily as a lumbering, tired Charizard could, he snuck out of his living quarters and hovered after the group.

…

Marth, Diddy Kong, Lucina, and Ness covered the right entrance to the hallway, while the Robins, Pit, and Palutena covered the left.

Red softly called, "I choose you— Dialga!"

The gigantic Pokémon of time appeared on the ground, as the other members of the group stared at it in shock.

Roy remarked, "It looks so much more effervescent in person."

Dialga looked towards Red. _"_ _So, what now, Master?_ _"_

Red looked at the warp station, utterly confused. Wolf "tched" and pointed at two cables hanging loosely from the control panel.

"That will allow the temporal circuit to be completed, thus allowing the warp to fully function."

Red smiled. "Thanks, Wolf."

Dialga bowed its head as the cables were connected to two of the spikes coming out of the Diamond on the Time Pokémon's chest. Immediately, the portal creator buzzed to life with a flash of electricity.

The small group cheered, high-fiving and fist-pumping as their theory was proven correct.

Wolf posed the question, "So, who wants to go home first?"

There was a brief pause. No one really wanted to go home, since they actually made it back inside of Smash Mansion.

"I guess we'll just show Master Hand first," Red settled. "That way, he can actually send whoever he deems back."

The others in the group agreed.

Young Link smiled. "Well, let's go!"

However, a mechanical voice said, "Accessing last reached time-space destination."

Roy asked, "Spear Pillar, right?"

Red began to get worried. "No… that was only Space. I don't know what the last time-space destination was…"

Each person looked as a portal slowly phased into being, depicting a shadowy landscape with multicolored platforms.

A roar sounded down the hallway as Red turned away from the portal.

"Incendius! Stay back!" he called, his voice filled with fear.

The Flame Pokémon broke through the crowd of Smashers just as a yellow whip flew from the portal, ensnaring the group of nine and whisking them inside the portal. In a panic, Dialga roared, vanishing into its own dimension, snapping off the temporal cables in the process. Incendius Flare Blitzed ahead of the other Smashers, who were running from opposite ends of the hallway, only catching a sorrowful glance from Red just as the portal closed.

Most Smashers awoke that night to the deafening bellow of a raging Charizard.


	9. C9: Fallen Star Mode Unlocked

**…**

 **C9: Fallen Star Mode Unlocked**

 **…**

Mario, though he was often considered the leader of the Smashers, was often the last to know about any problem. So, when Luigi poked on his shoulder, Mario groaned.

"What-a nightmare did you have-a this time, my-a brother?" He asked.

Luigi shook his head timidly. "No, it's not-a that."

Mario sighed. "Then I'm-a going back-a to bed." He rolled the sheets over himself as Luigi started panicking.

"No, you don't-a understand! The older smashers opened up a space-a-time portal and disappeared into it!"

Mario looked at him with annoyance. "And you expect-a me to believe-a that?"

Luigi nodded shyly and Mario sighed. "Fine, a-fine. I'll-a go check it out."

The Italian plumbers, both clad in pajamas with their respective insignias, walked towards a large group of Smashers, who congregated around the warp portal creator.

Princess Peach smiled at the sight of them.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" She said. "Everyone is in a panic and I don't know why!"

Serena, the girl from Pokemon X and Y, was frowning, looking at the sight of a crying Charizard.

"I can't get him to calm down! Can someone help me?"

Lucario finally said telepathically, _"_ _I can tell you what made him like this, based on what I_ _'_ _m able to glean from his aura and what the others have told me. There_ _'_ _s nostalgia, so he saw his former trainer_ _…_ _who was cut from this tournament. But there_ _'_ _s also a great deal of loss_ _…_ _so just as he saw him again, the group he was with vanished through the portal._ _"_

Mario and the others just looked at the Aura Pokémon in shock. Various other Smashers like Ness, Marth, and Pit all nodded their confirmation.

Mario shifted uneasily. "Do and of-a you know-a where they all went?" He asked them.

Palutena answered, "The only one close enough to get a glimpse of the portal before it vanished was Charizard."

Serena looked towards the Flame Pokémon and asked, "Do you know where they went, Charizard? Can you tell us?"

Charizard huffed, his tears finally stopping. He muttered something under his breath that made Lucario chuckle.

The others looked to the Aura Pokémon, who deadpanned, "I'd rather not translate that."

Serena frowned, then said, "If you tell us, we'll find your trainer faster."

Charizard's eyes snapped open and he reluctantly nodded.

He muttered something in his native tongue which made Lucario and Pikachu both step back in shock.

Lucario, shocked, said, _"_ _N-no_ _…_ _it can_ _'_ _t be_ _…"_

Ganondorf, who was unamused, demanded, "Cut the suspense and just tell us already!"

Lucario shakily nodded. _"_ _Our former comrades_ _…_ _are trapped_ _…_ _within the barriers of_ _…"_

The other Smashers stared at him in anticipation as he spoke the last word.

 _"_ _Subspace._ _"_

…

 **(aaaaaaand you all expected that. Great. Well, just stick around until chapter 11. Then you can go if you want to. Chapter 11 is my favorite so far, and I hope you'll see why.)**

The group of eight Smashers stood in various states of injury as they stood up from their unexpected entrance into this dark dimension. The eight Smashers were standing on the platform where those who made it in the Brawl tournament (bar Wolf) had faced off against the living embodiment of puppeteering and evil: Tabuu.

Lucas, who was the first to stand, frowned at the familiar location.

"I remember this place… this was where we fought Butterfly Man."

Red scowled at the memories that resurfaced. "And right after we made our way through the Great Maze… that monster would have killed us all over again."

Snake chuckled. "Fortunately, Sonic weakened the beast enough that we could kill it."

Young Link smiled. "That sounds like a heck of an adventure! I wish I could have joined you…"

Roy nodded. "Seconded. Too bad we didn't make it back…"

Wolf huffed. "Third…ed. Your group was too caught up in fighting Tabuu's army that you never bothered to open the door into my universe that allowed me to join the fight."

The Ice Climbers shifted uneasily.

Popo said, "Well… his boss fight was pretty tough."

Nana smiled. " But we made it out alive, right? And Tabuu was killed, so…"

"DEad, aM I?" an eerie voice, that appeared to be made out of several different angel chorus members that sang only tritone intervals rang out.

Snake scowled. "It's about time…"

Red looked at him in awe. "You knew he was here?"

Snake nodded. "I recognized that godforsaken whip attack. Combine that with the fact we landed on his stage, and the rest was logical enough."

Wolf rolled his eyes. "You've done it again, Holmes."

Roy looked around the Subspace platform, not finding anything out of the ordinary. "Show yourself!"

"IF You insIST…" The odd voice exclaimed.

The being that caused the Smashers so much trouble appeared in front of them. Tabuu barely looked different, except his blue wire-framed skin was now oscillating between red and violet in an aurora of color. Instead of his usual red core at his center, Tabuu held a circular, glowing object in his right hand.

"WELCOME, SMAShers, to my home. Or should I say… WELCOME BACK?" Tabuu spoke from his nonexistent mouth.

Snake was the first to ask, "Why have you brought us here?"

Tabuu chuckled. "SEE, You're BAIT."

Everyone was confused by his statement.

"Explain yourself!" Roy demanded.

Tabuu sighed, eliciting a grating noise that made everyone cover their ears. His voice, after this, was more metallic and lifeless.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning, then. When you Smashers supposedly 'killed' me, you merely destroyed my core, the red heart of my very being. As such, I vanished deeper into Subspace to try and recreate my core with the energy I had left. However, you all had done too much damage — I couldn't sustain myself for much longer.

"Despite this, while searching through Subspace, I was able to find the locations of certain stages that didn't make it to the newest tournament: Metal Cavern, Sector Z, and Planet Zebes from the Premier Tournament; from the Brawl tournament were Shadow Moses Island and Hanenbow; and others still from the Melee tournament: the Fountain of Dreams, Venom, the Brinstar Depths, the Pokémon Stadium, and most importantly, the Battlefield. The energy from the core at the Melee Tournament's Battlefield's center has been the source of my survival for the past several years, and is also responsible for its change in my appearance. However, I can sense a power hidden within this core that refuses to lend itself to me. Thus, I've captured you Smashers and will use you to lure Master and Crazy Hand into battle with me. Once I defeat them, I will gain access to this power and become unstoppable!"

Red grasped a Poké Ball on his belt with a sharp glare at Tabuu.

"What makes you think we won't fight back?"

Roy nodded, tightening his grip on the Sword of Seals. "We're Smashers— we won't give up easily!"

Tabuu chuckled, a sharp, disgusting sound that made everyone cringe.

"You act as if I haven't thought of that, No, the power already granted to me by this core has given me ultimate control over Subspace— and all inside it."

Pichu gave him a look of confusion as Tabuu smirked, forming a golden orb of energy in his left hand. In an instant, several, golden whiplike tendrils extended from the orb and began feeding the Subspace ruler's aura into each of them.

After a moment, Tabuu laughed, a gong-like, resonant sound that permeated all of his realm. Nine unflinching figures glowing with an opal-like, multicolored aura stood, ready to answer to their master's every beck and call.

…

Master Hand couldn't bear it any more. Some of his children— if he could even call himself their father any more— were captured by Tabuu. As much as he wanted to help save them, he knew it would be ill-advised. He felt the call of the Core from Subspace— it beckoned him onward to reclaim its power. But, that would leave the fighters here with no way to defend themselves.

Crazy Hand asked him, "What is it thaT KeeP5 y0u from joIn1ng m3 aNd t4king out MoThm4n 1ce & 4 awL?"

Master Hand wrung himself out (the equivalent of shaking his head).

"Even if both of us teamed up, there's too great of a risk of losing."

Crazy Hand argued, "Th4t'5 N3veR st0pp3D tH3m."

Master Hand turned to his counterpart in frustration. "You just don't get it! He has the Battlefield Core! If even one of us loses, he'll gain practically limitless power from the Swarm dwelling inside of it!"

Crazy Hand paused at that. "Hydroxide."

Master Hand 'tched'. "I guess you could say I'm low on faith for these Smashers. I know I shouldn't be, but, for a lot of them, this is their first tournament! How am I supposed to trust in their capabilities when I haven't seen them firsthand, myself?!"

Crazy Hand lifted his thumb and pinky finger (the equivalent of shrugging). "DunnoBro."

Master Hand sighed. "I suppose I should—"

The camera in front of the warp station suddenly zoomed in on the portal creator, where a purple vortex instantly appeared.

Master Hand stood pensively over the surveillance feed as words began appearing on the portal.

"Just what are you up to now, Tabuu?"

…

The Smashers stood, wide-eyed, as words began forming on the surface of the new portal.

 _"_ _A new challenge has appeared:_

 _Fallen Star Mode is now unlocked._

 _Those who have left your ranks seek to prove their strength once more._

 _A number of you have been called for 1v1 fights against a counterpart._

 _The number of matches are as follows:_

 _Pikachu vs. Pichu_

 _Toon Link vs. Young Link_

 _Rosalina & Luma vs. Ice Climbers_

 _Lucina vs. Roy_

 _Duck Hunt vs. Snake_

 _Falco vs. Wolf_

 _Ness vs. Lucas_

 _Pkmn Trainer Serena vs. Pkmn Trainer Red_

 _Be prepared for a challenge that puts the very fate of your lives in the balance._

 _Anyone besides the aforementioned Smashers who tries to enter will face certain doom._

 _Feel free to take this challenge when you all are ready._

 _We eagerly await your cooperation._

 _-Masters of Subspace_

 _…_

The reaction to these challenges was widespread, to say the least.

"Oh my!"

"How are-a we going to handle this?"

"A pity I don't get to fight."

"Mamma mia!"

"Pika pikachu!"

"Why would they do this?"

"I hate this—"

"ENOUGH!" a booming voice silenced the entire room. Master Hand hovered down the hallway, a fully healed Zero Suit Samus, Dark Pit, Samus, and R.O.B. standing beside him.

"Master Hand?" the Smashers inquiringly chorused.

The floating appendage sighed. "I know I haven't been the best Tournament Organizer, but we have a real problem on our hands. While I cannot confront Tabuu directly, if we win these matches, we have a chance to bring back our friends for good. So, I hope that all of you will do your best in your upcoming matches. I wish I could do more to assist you, but I cannot."

A cacophony of protests accompanied the Hand's remarks, and led Mario to add,

"What-a do you mean, you can't-a just confront-a Tabuu directly?"

Master Hand sighed. "Very well. You all deserve the truth. Tabuu has gained another source of power- the Master Core. In past years, it has powered the Battlefield and Final Destination stages. However, I sense Tabuu has not unlocked the seal on the Core, which means he hasn't gained the Core's full power yet. Regardless, Tabuu's power, combined with that of the Master Core, is extremely strong. If my brother and I go to fight him, we have little chance of winning, even if we use our full power. In addition, if either one of us loses, the seal on the Master Core will burst open and Tabuu could gain practically limitless power."

The others were silenced and gave understanding nods.

Toon Link stepped forward. "I guess we'll just have to win!"

Ness gave a confident nod. "We'll bring them back— don't you worry!"

The other fighters listed on the Fallen Star Mode stepped forward.

Master Hand nodded.

"Good luck, then."

Just as they stepped forward, the text changed.

 _"_ _Oh, by the way_ _—_ _some changes to the schedule have been made._ _"_

In an instant, two golden tendrils launched out from the portal. Before the Smashers could react, two more Smashers were sucked into the vortex.

Master Hand began to turn a dark blue in anger. "How dare you, Tabuu?!"

The text over the portal then read,

 _"_ _Oh, please. This is nothing compared to what I_ _'_ _m capable of._

 _In any case, the additional matches are:_

 _Mario vs. Dr. Mario_

 _Captain Falcon vs. Ganondorf_

 _Enjoy your battles_ _…"_

An upset, raging Mario charged at the portal, only to be held back by both Luigi and Peach.

"Please! Let-a me go and-a save my counterpart! I have-a to go!"

Sheik gave a hesitant sigh.

"At this point, that's the only thing we _can_ do."

Meta Knight raised his blade. "We don't know what Tabuu will do to the others if we don't play his little game."

Master Hand gave a thumbs-up. "Sheik and Meta Knight are right. Everyone called for battle, in position!"

The ten Smashers requested stood in front of the portal, anxious looks covering their visages.

Master Hand spoke, "Remember, we do not only fight for your sake, or for the sake of your comrades, but for the future of the Smash Brothers as a whole. Good luck to you all."

The requested ten nodded their confirmation and walked, single file, inside the portal.

As soon as each Smasher was inside the portal, Shulk's eyes and the Monado glowed blue. The blonde swordsman couldn't believe what his Vision told him and he gasped in horror.

Everyone, including Master Hand, turned to Shulk for details.

"What's did you see?" Mega Man asked shyly.

Shulk's horrified expression told what he said even more clearly. "We may have sent those Smashers to their doom…"

…

Lucina found herself in an unknown locale as a strange music played in the background. While it sounded familiar, she could not place the music.

She mused, "This sounds a lot like the music from that stage bearing the bat-warrior's face - the Halberd stage, was it?"

a sudden step from behind her caused the Ylissean princess to whirl around with barely enough time to parry a blade strike with her Parallel Falchion.

A cocky smirk was on the face of her opponent, a rainbow-colored aura pulsating from him. Lucina recognized her assailant from the various Einherjar that the Robins kept with them.

"The Young Lion… Roy?!" she exclaimed in a fright.

Roy pushed Lucina backwards with his blade before stepping back and taking a battle stance.

"It's good to see that my replacement knew my old title."

Lucina blinked in shock as his words registered. "But… what do you- how would you—"

Roy silenced her by wavedashing up and grabbing her by the collar of her tunic.

"Don't question me! You may have a cushy spot back in the Arena Ferox, but trust me— now you're on my turf."

Roy tossed her away before following up with a chain grab combo into a Double-Edged Dance that pushed her near the edge. He took the opportunity to wavedash back as Lucina barely grabbed the edge, struggling to get up.

Roy chuckled. "You need to brush up on your history. This stage, directly from the Melee tournament, is called the Fountain of Dreams. On this stage, both platforms move up and down, and the low ceiling makes for easy kills off of the top blast zone."

Lucina was utterly confused by his commentary. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Roy chuckled. "Welcome to the Melee tournament, Lucina. It's time to push you to the losers' bracket!"

He slashed at Lucina, which she barely clanked via a tipper jab.

"Just who are you?" she asked with just a hint of fear.

Roy smirked. "Very good, princess. The Roy that Marth knew is no more. I am his darkest desires, bent on burning you in the hellfire of revenge. I, S3thl0n, will incinerate you!"

With that, S3thl0n lunged at the Ylissean princess with a Wavedash-Flare Blade combo, sending Lucina out of a premature stock (since she DI-ed it poorly).

S3thl0n chuckled. "Just three more stocks to go and Tabuu's mission will be complete."

…

Marth was aghast, watching from a screen that Master Hand barely managed to link to the time-space destinations that Tabuu sent the Smashers off to.

"Even when we fought in the Tournament, Roy was never that villainous…" the Hero-King commented.

Ike shook his head. "Then it's confirmed— Tabuu has infected them with delusions."

Master Hand wrung himself out upward, then downward (the equivalent to nodding). "I never knew Roy was so upset about Lucina entering the tournament instead of him."

Robin (the female, to clarify) sympathized, "Well, wouldn't you, given the circumstances? A character with basically your moveset, except without the extra gimmick that you had, gets in while you remain out?"

Marth looked down, clearly distraught. "When you put it like that…"

Palutena looked like she wanted to help him, but instead asked Master Hand, "So why is this match the only one that's being recorded?"

Master Hand bluntly answered, "Tabuu hasn't started any others yet. I believe he's keeping the other Smashers that went with him in a state of suspended animation until their matches begin."

Thrush **(as the male variant of Robin will henceforth be known- hey, some thrushes are confused for robins. Ornithology, guys.)** grit his teeth. "I know what he's doing."

The others turned to him as Lucina screamed once again, confirming that she had lost another stock to the godlike S3thl0n.

"He's taking our friends from us, one by one, to weaken our resolve."

Marth's head drooped further still at this news. Ike frowned.

"Unfortunately for him, it's working." The mercenary added.

…

S3thl0n had brought Lucina down to her last stock, while he was perfect with four stocks and 0% damage to his name.

Lucina was terrified of her opponent's godlike timing and precision in attacks. He'd even predicted her Counter and instead comboed from his down-throw, usually forcing her to recover to the ledge.

S3thl0n chuckled as the respawn-induced floating platform his opponent stood on vanished, sending the fearful princess down onto the top platform.

"Hmm… how should I finish you? A meteor smash, perhaps?"

Lucina frowned as she thought, _"_ _Please, Master Hand_ _…_ _send help!_ _"_

Surprisingly, a Smash Ball appeared on the stage. As S3thl0n was still thinking about how to best finish her, she charged a Forward-Smash just as it neared her. Just as S3thl0n turned back, she grabbed the Smash Ball, a confident smirk on her face.

S3thlon paused, shocked at this new development. He jumped up to the floating platform as Lucina fell through and activated her ultimate attack.

"Time to change fate!" she screamed as she charged at her opponent. However, S3thl0n performed a Melee Air Dodge upwards just as she passed. Lucina's confident expression turned to horror as she screamed, her final stock about to be lost in a self-destruct.

S3thl0n smirked. "Get JV-5-stocked!"

The match ended as Lucina's trophy fell down in front of S3thl0n, who chuckled mercilessly before putting the back of his hand on Lucina's cheek in mock concern.

"A pity the fun ended too quickly… Well, I guess that's phase one complete."

…

The others were shocked by the turn of events. Even Master Hand couldn't comprehend the pure massacre that had just happened. Both Robin and Marth were on their knees, crying for their lost comrade.

Master Hand managed to stutter, "S-so what if one of our comrades fell. We have nine more chances to win!"

ZSS looked down with a depressed expression. "Frankly, I don't like our odds. If S3thl0n completely eliminated Lucina, even when she had a Final Smash, who knows what the others are capable of?"

Master Hand pointed to the screen as several more figures appeared on a new stage.

"I guess we're about to find out."


	10. C10: Battle for the Subspace Badge!

**…**

 **C10: Battle for the Subspace Badge!**

 **…**

On opposite floating platforms on the Pokémon Stadium stood the two Pokémon Trainers, Red and Serena. Immediately, Charizard narrowed its eyes at his opponent.

Serena looked uneasily at the Flame Pokémon. "Wh-what's the matter, Charizard?"

Charizard gave a defiant roar at its former trainer, who was giving a sadistic smirk.

Lucario, who had followed along as part of Serena's Pokémon team, translated.

"Red's aura is tainted beyond belief… but somehow strengthened." The Aura Pokémon explained. "I believe Tabuu's meddling has something to do with this."

Before the battle commenced, an eerie voice rang out throughout the colosseum.

"Well, it looks like we're five-on-two here! That's definitely not fair…"

All of Serena's Pokémon tensed as Serena jumped, startled.

She shakily commented, "You know about… him?"

Tabuu's face appeared on the Stadium's gigantic screen as he added, "Indubitably. Snake's intelligence provided a bit of clarification into the matter."

Serena could only grit her teeth at her ace in the hole being discovered.

"But enough about me… I think it's time I made it a fair fight."

Immediately, a tendril of aura flew out of the television screen and wrapped itself around Charizard, moving him over to Red's side and covering him with the same multicolored aura and glazed eyes.

Lucario was extremely on edge. "Okay, this is not good at all…"

Greninja, who appeared right beside Serena, bore the same concerned expression.

"Ninja Grenin…" he commented.

Lucario sighed. "That's what I just said."

Tabuu then chuckled. "But I guess you think it'll be unfair if you have a legendary with you… and you'd be right! So, I'll be… disqualifying it from participating. It's not even a Smasher yet!"

Serena cried out in protest, but Tabuu only laughed.

"Oh, please, little girl. I'm only going to send it back to your PC in the Kalos Region. I'm in a good mood since S3thl0n's flawless victory, so consider yourself lucky."

Serena was furious as a Master Ball flew out of her bag and a miniature portal appeared in mid-air. As soon as the Poké Ball vanished through the portal, Tabuu's image vanished from the big screen.

"Since I only have enough power to reach your dimension with a portal that small at the moment, I'll leave it to you. But, once your smasher army belongs to me, I shall rule all worlds. But, enough about me." his voice eerily whispered before vanishing.

"Welcome to my Gym." Red suddenly spoke.

Serena took on a baffled expression as Red continued.

"The rules here are simple— my Pokémon will faint if they've taken enough damage, but so will yours. And, when they faint, they will become trophies and disappear into Tabuu's control. Pokémon's always been about strategy— think of this as one crazy chess game. I know you can't command your Smashers in battle, but you're the king of the white team."

Red held out one of his arms and a miniature Subspace portal appeared, Shadow Bugs flying out and swarming around his forearm.

Those back at the mansion couldn't help but watch in shock. Pit, especially, was distraught, a horrified expression glazed over his usually cheery face. Palutena was right beside him, trying to hide her own shock at the turn of events. And, even though Dark Pit loved to see his counterpart upset, he knew it was a horrible time to try and make something of it.

After a few brief moments, the Shadow Bugs had created a gauntlet whose black surface gleamed with a dark glow, barely illuminating the red Poké Ball insignia on the palm. Attached to the wrist of the gauntlet appeared to be what looked like a disk launcher, with different wires curving around the glove and connecting to what appeared to be a reservoir on his shoulder.

Red chuckled. "Beautiful, isn't it? This is what gives me the power to transform you into a trophy after you lose. Of course, I can't use it if I'm a trophy, but I doubt I'll have that much to worry about."

Serena glared at him, ready to command her first attack.

Red held his hands up.

"Well, since white gets the first move, I'll be a gentleman and choose the first Pokémon- go, Squirtle!"

He held out a Poké Ball before tossing it into the arena, releasing the Tiny Turtle Pokémon as he stepped into the background.

Serena looked conscientiously throughout the four Pokémon that still stood by her, wondering who to choose. However, she was stunned to feel an arm on her shoulder.

"L… Lucario?" the Kalosian managed to say.

The Aura Pokémon nodded.

 _"_ _Do not worry. I will protect you from his wrath, no matter the cost._ _"_

Serena was able to muster a smile and said, "Go get 'em, Lucario!"

Lucario nodded and jumped into battle, his aura surrounding him with a bright light as Serena also stepped to the background.

Red shrugged.

"It's too bad we have no referee… Tabuu, would you mind?"

Surprisingly, a Mii character glowing with Tabuu's aura appeared in the background of the center of the arena, holding two different flags. However, he retained a humanoid appearance, as opposed to Tabuu's preferred method of appearance.

He spoke, and the Smashers all recognized his voice.

"Stamina Smash! Lucario! VS! Squirtle!"

The Smashers watching could barely contain their surprise.

"THE ANNOUNCER?!" They all yelled in unison.

Meta Knight closed his eyes, commenting, "It is a very grim point in our history, indeed, when we cannot even rely on our announcer…"

Pit added, "Wasn't there some other point where we had an announcer that betrayed us? And something about a psychiatrist with a gun-"

Master Hand pointed at him and spoke in a deafening tone.

"I will not have you crossing continuities here!"

"What have I told you about reading fictional stories about us, Pit?" Palutena playfully chided.

"Heh. Didn't know Pitstain was a bookworm…" Dark Pit taunted.

Pit glared halfheartedly at his twin before looking down, his wings drooping.

"I guess I just got caught up in it… but it _was_ a good story."

Master Hand muttered, "Unlike this one…" so quietly that no one else heard.

Back at the Stadium, both Pokémon stood, anxious and ready for a fight.

The Announcer began, "Ready… GO!"

Red opened his hand to Lucario, which allowed him the first move. The Aura Pokémon took this chance to jump forward and Force Palm Squirtle from a short distance, who perfect-shielded the move and countered with a charged Smash Attack. However, Lucario was too quick and sidestepped his opponent's attack. He grabbed Squirtle right as he recovered and pummeled him several times before throwing him backwards. Squirtle managed to Wavedash backwards before Lucario's eyes began glowing blue. After a moment, which Squirtle took to charge its Water Gun, Lucario grinned.

"So that's how you wavedash…"

Red's eyes widened in surprise as Lucario began charging an aura sphere. Squirtle lunged at him using Withdraw, but Lucario used Double Team to counter the attack, vanishing and striking with a flying kick from the left, hitting Squirtle further off the stage. Squirtle was barely able to recover by jumping and using Waterfall. Lucario used his ExtremeSpeed to return to the top platform without an issue.

Red grit his teeth and commented, "I think I should switch you out!"

Serena smirked. "You can't do that!"

Red glared at her. "What do you mean, I can't? This is my gym!"

Serena continued, undaunted. "Exactly. In a gym battle, it's usually three-on-three, and only the challenger is allowed to switch."

The Announcer nodded his confirmation. "Congratulations!"

Back at the mansion, everyone sweatdropped.

"I hate his limited vocabulary…" Master Hand deadpanned.

Red's face flushed in embarrassment before his eyes narrowed in anger.

"You can do this, Squirtle!" he yelled.

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon nodded before jumping and using Water Gun to push both fighters back. However, Lucario fell through the platform and wavedashed in with a Force Palm, grabbing him and throwing it back. Just as Squirtle was going to recover, Lucario jumped in and Force Palmed again, grabbing the tiny turtle and spiking him downward, where he couldn't recover.

Red was stunned into silence.

"No way… They actually got past one of my Pokémon…"

The Smashers watching all cheered for Lucario. Meta Knight chuckled to himself.

"I knew Lucario would be able to come through for us."

Red called out his next Pokémon, yelling, "Let's go! Ivysaur!"

The grass-type appeared on the field of battle, and the announcer jumped in.

"VS.! Ivysaur! Ready, GO!"

Before Lucario could prepare an attack, Ivysaur wavedashed up to him and grabbed him, pummeling him several times before throwing him away. As Lucario tried to recover with an ExtremeSpeed, Ivysaur just kept keeping him from the ledge using Razor Leaf and Seed Bomb.

Serena began to show signs of worry as Lucario took more and more damage.

Kirby frowned as he saw his friend's plight. "Poyo?" he asked.

Meta Knight, the only one who understood Kirby, sighed. "Yes, Kirby. Lucario is in trouble now."

Just as Lucario was finally able to grab the ledge, Ivysaur taunted.

Lucario's demeanor hardened and he rushed in, his hands blazing with aura. However, Ivysaur surprised Lucario by tackling him using its vines to propel it and then wavedashed in, beginning to tense up as Lucario panicked, trying to get up. However, the Seed Pokémon's bulb exploded, the resulting shockwave causing Lucario to fly completely off of the stage.

Serena gasped in horror, and all the Smashers were silent.

Red chuckled. "You actually thought you would win? Squirtle was just to test you. From here on out, my Pokémon won't even break a sweat!"

Instantly, on the back screen, two trophies appeared on a random Subspace platform.

Lucario and Squirtle both stood, side-by-side, as the Smashers watching at home grimaced.

"It's a win-win for Tabuu, either way." Thrush managed to say through gritted teeth.

Jigglypuff floated gracefully onto the field of battle. Greninja protested, jumping in alongside the veteran Smasher, so Red chuckled.

"Alright, have it your way, then! Charizard, come forth!"

Instantly, it was a 2-on-2 battle as Charizard roared in challenge and Greninja took a shinobi stance. Jigglypuff looked around uneasily as Ivysaur kept its calm demeanor.

The announcer nodded. "Round 2! VS.! Ivysaur! And, Charizard!"

Master Hand groaned. "We need a new running gag."

"Ready, GO!"

Instantly, Ivysaur shot a Razor Leaf through Charizard at Greninja, who disappeared using Shadow Sneak and struck Ivysaur directly in the face. Ivysaur teched once it landed and rolled back, only to be hit by a Water Shuriken from Serena's starter. Though it wasn't very effective, it did multiple hits of damage and threw the Grass- and Poison-type further off of the platform, forcing it to use Vine Whip to recover.

Meanwhile, Charizard used Dragon Rush to dash at Jigglypuff, but the Balloon Pokémon jumped over her attacker and retaliated by using Pound to hit him slightly upward. She followed up with an upward slap that knocked the Fire- and Flying-type skyward and was about to land another hit before Charizard fast-fell and wave-landed on the platform, opting for a Fly upwards. Again, however, Jigglypuff jumped up out of the way with an innocent smile.

Red scowled at the bad luck his Pokémon were having against their opponents.

Serena grinned. "Looks like I've got this one in the bag."

Red rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, it's not over until I lose."

Serena smirked. "Maybe you're just past your prime."

That was it. Something snapped inside the young trainer. Red glared at her, Tabuu's aura suddenly glowing harsher than before.

"You think that just because I'm older than you means you have the advantage? You think your "new blood" and high generation graphics make any difference? You think you can just replace me as Pokémon caretaker of the Smash Brothers? I was the Original Trainer, with experience stacked high in nine whole games. Compared to you, I am your superior in every way!"

The Pokémon stopped their battle and looked at the trainer as he continued to rant.

"You think you can just take my place - take my trusted starter away from me and casually leave me in the dust to rot? You should know your place!"

Serena's face was aghast as she began to cower away from the

Master Hand sighed. "This is all my fault."

Meta Knight shook his head. "No. This superiority complex is all Tabuu." Everyone still in the room turned to look at the Star Warrior.

He continued, "Yes, he was disappointed to see his Charizard go, but he was only mildly depressed - not angry."

Kirby smiled, amazed at Meta Knight's observation. Everyone around him was also surprised, with murmurs of wonder circling throughout the group.

"Poyo?" He asked.

Meta Knight simply chuckled. "Lucario has taught me a few things, yes."

Master Hand still looked downcast. "I still feel somewhat responsible for his attitude…"

"Hey!" Sheik sharply yelled. as the Hand turned towards her, she continued, "Just shut up and man… or Hand up, for Hylia's sake. Just because you set in motion the chain of events does not mean you're responsible for every link. Just…" she sighed. "Do what you can to repair this."

Everyone was silent but Red, who was still ranting on-screen.

The Kanto native's expression changed to a wicked grin as he pointed his gauntlet at Serena. "I don't need this battle— I'll just finish you myself!"

Charizard and Ivysaur were both utterly shocked at their trainer's behavior- especially Charizard. This, in short, was not the Red he knew.

As Red's aura grew to an insane level of pressure, Tabuu's control relaxed over both Pokémon, and they both stared in shock at their trainer.

Red chuckled, about to fire at Serena, when Charizard bull-rushed him with a dash attack. Red glared at his former partner.

"Getting in my way? No, we can't allow that!"

He then clenched his fist and thrust his arm forward. Instantly, a Subspace arrow, similar to the ones used during the Subspace battles of the Brawl Tournament, fired at Charizard, freezing him in his tracks.

Everyone, both in and watching the stadium stared in shock and horror as Charizard's trophy appeared next to the other two on the Stadium's screen.

Pit frowned. "Red… what happened to you?"

Serena began shying away as the referee was about to speak.

"No conte-" The announcer was instantly silenced as a trophy bearing his likeness appeared on the screen.

"He finally shut up… that stupid jerk."

Ivysaur gave a look of pity to Serena before charging at Red, screaming as loudly as he could.

Red smirked, firing off three arrows in quick succession.

Ivysaur gave a depressed nod just before its trophified form was teleported out of the Stadium. unable to react, Jigglypuff was also taken by the attack in trophy form. However, with the reaction speed of a TAS player, Greninja used Substitute to vanish just in the nick of time and reappear next to its trainer, the Substitute doll instead turned into a trophy that appeared next to Tabuu's growing collection.

Red glared at Greninja. "You nuisance! I'll have you tortured as soon as you're under Tabuu's control!"

…

The fountain in Smash City, if you will remember, was unusually calm, with no one watching it. If one could look, of course, they would be in for the sight of their life: The ground around the fountain began rumbling, a deep purple energy erupting from the fountain. A perfect circle of the ground exploded outwards in a glimmering, almost black light. Where the fountain once stood was a hemisphere of broken ground, a broken water pipe still spilling its contents into the now-muddy floor. A lone figure hovered in the center of the wreckage, glaring towards the Smash Complex before vanishing in a blink of dark energy and a small zapping sound.

…

Greninja returned to a Shinobi stance, standing in front of Serena protectively. Red chuckled.

"Sayonara, both of you. At least you'll both go out together."

Serena cowered behind Greninja as Red fired two more arrows.

Everyone but Master Hand grimaced and looked away from the screen before two magical zapping sounds were heard. Master Hand actually began laughing.

Everyone looked at the screen to see a figure they would never have expected.

Peach was the only one who spoke up amidst a sea of stares. "M-Mewtwo?"

Red was shocked at this new development. "What the #%! are you?"

Mewtwo mused over this before smirking. _"_ _An old friend of the Smashers that_ _'_ _s taking this opportunity to Strike Back!_ "

Red scowled before looking at Tabuu through the screen. Granting his unspoken request, Charizard reappeared on Red's side of the field, glowing with Tabuu's multicolored aura.

Mewtwo looked back at Master Hand with a frown.

 _"_ _You honestly can_ _'_ _t expect me to deal with this-_ _"_ He paused to block another arrow from Red using Confusion before continuing, _"_ _without a power jump, like a Smash Ball._ _"_

Master Hand nodded. "Just say the word."

Mewtwo groaned. _"_ _Are you freaking kidding me, Hand?_ "

Master Hand snapped his fingers and suddenly there was not only one Smash Ball on the field, but _two._

Master Hand began panicking as everyone looked at him with disdain.

"I'm only a creative mastermind, not a mastermind in general!" He defended uselessly.

Mewtwo nodded, jumping in the air and swiping a Smash Ball as it hovered around the stage, warping after it and hitting it with his tail twice more before he began glowing with the Smash Ball's energy.

Charizard rushed at Mewtwo using Dragon Rush, but Mewtwo was able to shield the attack and then freeze him in place using Disable. Red shot another Arrow at Mewtwo, which he blocked yet again with Confusion, and the Genetic Pokémon sighed.

 _"_ _I suppose_ you'll _have to learn your place, now._ _"_

Red gave him a death stare. **"** **What?!** **"**

Mewtwo turned to Serena as Red began cursing the Legendary out. _"_ _Your Key Stone_ _…_ _press it!_ _"_

Serena just gave the Genetic Pokémon a blank stare for a moment before she regained her senses and pushed the Key Stone. Mewtwo nodded as he felt the Mega Evolution's power overtake him and he gave his first genuine (albeit telepathic) laugh in years.

Red just stared in shock. "This amazing power… what is it?"

Serena couldn't suppress a grin. "This is Mega Evolution!"

"What? Mega Evolution? There's no way that could be right!"

The energy bubble around Mewtwo burst open, to reveal its Y form, bearing a striking resemblance to a combination of Frieza and Kid Buu.

Mewtwo opened one hand towards the dazed Charizard and bewildered trainer and a gigantic orb of violet energy flew past both of them. Instantaneously, violet lightning struck them both, and they clutched their heads in pain. Mewtwo's expression was completely calm as his violet aura exploded around him and, after a moment, a rainbow-colored explosion sent both Red and his Charizard flying backwards.

Mewtwo chuckled as he returned to his normal form, nodding at Greninja and Serena. The Kalosian trainer was in awe while Greninja just gave him a nod of appreciation.

"How… how did you do that? My Mewtwo could never have done that!"

Mewtwo smiled. _"_ _Call it experience, my dear. Now, let_ _'_ _s leave this place._ _"_

"Not so fast, heroes." A screeching voice permeated the arena as Mewtwo glared in annoyance.

 _"_ _But I_ _'_ _ve got to go fast, as a certain hedgehog would say._ _"_

Sonic suddenly sneezed, groaning and rubbing his nose.

"I have a name, you know! Geez…" he complained.

Without warning, the other Smash Ball suddenly vanished, and Tabuu, in all his glory, suddenly appeared, pulsing with the rainbow-colored aura of the Smash Ball.

Master Hand paled (if that's possible), muttering, "What have I done…"

Everyone stared in shock as Tabuu's wings appeared, rainbow-colored, as a gigantic mass of Subspace arrows materialized and began swirling around the aurora-colored fiend.

"It's high time you're captured. With your power in my hands, I will be invincible!"

Mewtwo panicked and grabbed Serena telekinetically before warping them both over to Greninja, Charizard, and Red.

Tabuu let loose, his wings firing off countless waves of his aura as Subspace arrows flew in all directions. The Pokémon Stadium could not bear the full barrage and, after several arrows pierced through the mechanical floor, sparks erupted all throughout the colosseum before the stadium finally went up in a gigantic explosion, smoke blanketing the entire area (and the entire screen). After a moment, the Final Smash aura subsided and Tabuu's wings vanished. However, instead of seeing several floating trophies, the Subspace ruler was only met with the darkness of his realm.

Tabuu scowled, releasing a guttural roar that resonated throughout all his domain before he vanished once again.

Several moments passed, and each Smasher looked around for the return of the others.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked after a tense silence.

Meta Knight frowned. "I do not sense them anywhere…"

After several tense moments, Shulk was the one to ask,

"So… where are they now?"


	11. C11: Gathering Grove

**…**

 **C11: Gathering Grove**

 **…**

Serena opened her eyes slowly, groaning as she tried to get herself upright.

"Could you be more careful next time?" She muttered, still not fully awake.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and yawning, she looked around. What she saw made her completely silent. A wide, well-kept, grassy field stretched out as far as the eyes could see as the sun's rays continually beamed from a corner of the sky. Its rays reflected off of a house-sized fountain near the center, with a gigantic marble Smash Ball in its center and an "N" carved into the stone of the base. Water flowed from the edge of the fountain into the clear-water pool, constantly flowing. Around the fountain circled a variety of trees that all pointed to a mountain in the distance. Serena looked at the Genetic Pokémon that had saved her, who was hovering near the fountain, meditating. Greninja had decided to play in the fountain's large pool, and Red and Charizard were both lying, unconscious, on a mound of grass that was shaded by a large platform that floated several hundred feet above the ground alongside a shifting cloudscape.

Curious, Serena walked over to the hovering Mewtwo, several questions in mind.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, Mewtwo interrupted, _"_ _You know I can read your mind, right?_ _"_

Serena, flushed, embarrassed, as Mewtwo continued.

 _"_ _I am sorry_ _…_ _I was in a hurry to get us to escape the attack, and to those inexperienced with teleportation, it saps your energy quickly. Either way, what I am about to tell you is something you should not know, but since you are here, I cannot hide the truth from you._ _"_

Mewtwo dramatically paused to gesture at the land around him with one hand.

 _"_ _The truth is, you_ _'_ _ve been here before. Everyone has. Doesn_ _'_ _t this fountain seem familiar? Whether or not you remember it now, I_ _'_ _m sure you will._ _"_

Serena blinked, looking to the side as Greninja jumped up from the fountain, soaked in water, and tried to hop up towards the top of the stone Smash Ball. As soon as her eyes were closed, she saw an image of Greninja charging a Water Shuriken against another Pokémon, whose arms had scythes of green energy and a leafy tail, which charged at Greninja under orders from another boy with a white hat and a black headband.

Serena gasped, her eyes open wide. "Wh-what?" she stammered.

Mewtwo nodded. _"_ _I see you_ _'_ _re confused_ _…_ _But, I must say, that battle you had against Brendan_ _'_ _s Sceptile was amazing. Even though the Smash Zone eliminated all type effectiveness, you made quite a comeback near the end._ _"_

Serena groaned, holding her head in both hands as a sudden migraine occurred.

Mewtwo chuckled. _"_ _Don_ _'_ _t worry_ _…_ _your brain is just piecing together the dots_ _…_ _3_ _…_ _2.. 1_ _…"_

Serena's jaw dropped as her migraine, as Mewtwo predicted, suddenly faded.

"This… I remember this place. Greninja and I battled for a spot in the tournament against another Trainer. But… how?"

Mewtwo sighed. _"_ _I_ _'_ _ll start from the top._ _"_ Serena looked back at the Psychic-type, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

 _"_ _Way back in the days of the Premier Tournament, this area was used by Master Hand to test different fighters to see if they were capable of having a Smash-able moveset. Back then, we could only use three total Special moves: a Standard, Up, and Down. From the get-go, however, Master Hand had a set number of roster members he wanted to include: 12. His first star, Mario, clearly made it in, along with Kirby for_ _…_ _reasons. However, that left ten new roster spots to decide. He pulled characters from a lot of different worlds, including the Kanto Region, where I come from. However, with a strict number of limitations and since I was, in essence, a final challenge or legend that some people barely even knew about, Master Hand was disinclined to include me. In addition, I barely had a standard array of melee attacks._

 _"_ _But, enough about me. 17 characters were pulled, but only 12 made it in. Once the trials had been completed, Master Hand made everyone forget about this place_ _—_ _that he could, anyways._ _"_

Greninja, who had given up on his bath, walked over and started listening to the story.

"Ninja Grenin?"

Mewtwo nodded. _"_ _Yes, Greninja. The same thing I told you as soon as we got here._ _"_

Serena asked, "What do you mean, 'that he could?' "

Mewtwo smiled. _"_ _Ah, I was just about to get to that part. Though I was not the only one there with Psychic powers, even then, my power levels were extremely high. Therefore, Master Hand could not force me to forget anything. Thus, as a last resort, he made me the temporary guardian of this place._ _"_

"Ja ninja gre?"

 _"_ _Good question. I still made my dwelling in the Cerulean Cave, in my home region, but I was given the ability to teleport here at will by Master Hand. I became its caretaker, repairing the fountain in the event prospective fighters destroyed it, keeping the grass trimmed, fixing trees, and the like. However, it gave me a new place to hone my skills and prepare a moveset for the next tournament. And, since I was doing Master Hand a big favor by keeping this place in top form and I had figured out my moveset, he allowed me to compete in the Melee tournament, as long as I limited myself to my moves. I_ _'_ _ll admit, even though I lost my qualifier for the first tournament, regardless, against Captain Falcon, that wasn_ _'_ _t the first time this place was used for fighting._ _"_

Both Serena and Greninja were baffled by the Legendary's words.

"Again, what do you mean by that last sentence?"

"Ninja nin gre!" The Water- and Dark-type demanded.  
Mewtwo relented, pointing to the floating platform that Red and Charizard were lying under.

 _"_ _Of course, even before we were called by Master Hand, this area was heavily populated, and Master Hand began what I_ _'_ _d call Tournament Zero_ _—_ _not much is known about it, but there were very few fighters that were too similar and the project was quickly scrapped, the city was abandoned, and the ghost town was eventually plowed over and transformed into the paradise you see now. That platform is where several of the fighters used to duke it out, and it_ _'_ _s been a part of this place since Tournament Zero. However, I_ _'_ _ve heard rumors that the cast of fighters rebelled against Master Hand for making them join the tournament in the first place_ _…_ _and that their rebellion was quickly quashed and, as a punishment, they were transformed into another form and never seen again._

Both Greninja and Serena shared a glance of shock. Mewtwo continued without batting an eye.

 _"_ _But at least this area had some use. It helped me prepare my skills for the next tournament and, in addition to fighter trials, during the Melee era, this place was used to rest before the All-Star matches, where one person would fight all others in succession with very little recovery. However, the roster was much smaller at that time, so it was easier for all of us. There used to be a teleportation pad here for that reason, but Master Hand linked a different area for Brawl_ _'_ _s All-Star rest area, so that was deactivated and eventually removed._ _"_

Serena had to ask, "So you've been mentioning this place for a while, but you haven't given us its name at all."

Mewtwo chuckled. _"_ _That_ _'_ _s because it_ _'_ _s had a couple names over the years. If I remember correctly, the city itself was named Ryuoh, which is what I called it during the first years. However, once it was mainly used for All-Star and fighter trials, I gave it its title_ _—_ _Gathering Grove. It_ _'_ _s a natural paradise where both friends and foes gather to rest between their important fights or to prove their talent, skill, and experience._ _"_

Serena nodded. "So, how are we going to get back into the fight?"

Mewtwo shrugged. _"_ _Once Red and Charizard are awake, we_ _'_ _ll head back to the Smash Complex. I assume everyone will still be-_ _"_

Mewtwo's eyes suddenly began glowing in a harsh violet light. He scowled and immediately took a battle stance. Greninja stepped in front of Serena protectively, forming water swords in both hands.

"What's going on?" Serena panicked.

Mewtwo glared. _"_ _I forgot to disable the defense systems in my haste, and so we_ _'_ _re about to have some company._ _"_

"Gre?"

 _"_ _A group of old enemies. They were used during the Brawl tournament, if I remember correctly, to practice against multiple opponents. They are_ _…"_

Suddenly, a multitude of Subspace portals opened up around them, releasing different-colored warriors. One of them held a boombox and set it down behind the circle of creatures that had formed around them. As soon as the group had all formed, the boom box started blaring. Mewtwo gave a frustrated sigh.

 _"_ _The Alloys._ _"  
_ **(If you wish, play the Mighty Morphin** **'** **Power Rangers theme here- I did.)**

"GO GO POWER RANGERS!"

The group of Alloys struck a group pose before charging at both of the Pokémon, who were ready for an intense battle.

"MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS!"

The battle was faster-paced then Melee as Greninja and Mewtwo vanished and reappeared all throughout the battlefield, thinning the herd with each attack. Mewtwo teleported to the side and jumped, cloaking himself in electricity that short-circuited several of the Alloys before creating a burst of dark energy that destroyed another few. Greninja used Shadow Sneak to create an opening with an all-around strike and swiped down with his water swords, finishing off several more before using Hydro Pump to blast through another group.

Serena cheered on the group as the music continued.

"NO ONE WILL EVER TAKE THEM DOWN,

THE POWER LIES ON THEIR SIIIIIIII-"

In the blink of an eye, Mewtwo teleported to the jukebox and crushed it with another dark energy burst.

 _"_ _That song is so very annoying,_ _"_ he noted.

Greninja gave one last swipe with a water sword and stepped back, letting his water swords dissolve into little fountains of water that spouted from his hands as he stood in the midst of Alloy wreckage.

Serena commented, "Well, that was anticlimactic."

Mewtwo sighed. _"_ _That may be, but the Alloys run on a source of interdimensional energy_ _…_ _the same type of energy that Master and Crazy Hand use. Thus, their distruction might cause a disturbance large enough that someone might have noticed_ _…_ _So, we_ _'_ _d best be on our guard._ _"_

Greninja and Serena both nodded as they looked over to the still-unconscious trainer and Flame Pokémon with downcast expressions.

 _"_ _Please wake up soon_ _…"_ Serena thought.

…

Meanwhile, the Smashers were in a slump. Not only had Greninja, Charizard, and Mewtwo failed to return, but the next battle was not going well.

Though only Ness had played on their stage before, it had been a long, long time since he had battled on Planet Zebes. Ness was giving it his best shot, but Lucas was an absolute beast. For Each PK Fire that Ness threw out, Lucas would use his PSI Magnet to absorb the hit and counter with a different PSI move. It seemed, at first, that the two youths were evenly matched, but Lucas' extra grab range and PK Freeze's longer range gave him the edge. Ness had, through a lucky lava flow, managed to catch Lucas off-guard and take a stock using PK Thunder II. Lucas returned, more enraged than ever, rushing after him with repeated jumps into PSI-empowered spins that did plenty of damage. Just as Lucas was charging up a downward-facing burst of PSI-energy, a tear fell down Lucas' face. Ness' eyes widened and he yelled,

"Take Tabuu down now, before he gains too much power from our troph-"

Ness was finally hit by Lucas' attack and flew off the stage. The battle ended instantaneously, Ness' trophy falling onto the platform next to Lucas, who let another tear fall from his eyes before both of them were whisked away by Tabuu.

In a flash, the Subspace ruler, himself, appeared on the screen.

"I hope you heard the pitiful child, Master Hand. I was just wondering how much more of your children you would see vanquished before you intervened."

The creator-being clenched his fist. "I know better than that. The core has given you too much power. Even if the lives of my children are at stake, I won't recklessly charge in."

Tabuu chuckled again in his grating noise that made everyone cringe.

"Suit yourself. Either way, I've had my fun for now. You can have the rest of your Smashers back until I'm ready for the next series of battles."

Immediately, Pikachu, Falco, Toon Link, Rosalina, Duck Hunt, Falco, Mario, and Captain Falcon were ejected from the portal, all taking battle stances before they realized where they were. Pikachu used Quick Attack in a panic, trying to go through the portal once again, but the doorway vanished, leaving Pikachu to go crashing into the wall behind the warp station, unconscious. ZSS quickly rushed over to its aid as various others crowded around the other Smashers, who were still a bit dazed.

"Until we meet again, Smashers." Tabuu finally vanished from the screen, which went black.

Everyone looked to Master Hand, who sighed.

"I think we need to have a bit of a talk." He finally admitted.

…

As soon as the conversation was over, Tabuu teleported back to a different area of Subspace, where all the trophies he had captured previously were huddled on a platform around some sort of device. Tabuu gave out a sigh.

"So, I assume the project is going well, then?"

Wolf and Snake, who were both crouching in front of said device, nodded.

"It should be up and running in less than half an hour." Wolf answered.

Tabuu nodded. "Perfect."

S3thl0n, who was currently sparring with Lucina, dared to ask a question.

"So, Master… what's the reason you're fighting?"

Tabuu harrumphed. "I seek to return to the world from which I came and regain my intended form. This, of course, involves gaining the power of the core."

Lucina turned to him after barely blocking one of S3thl0n's attacks. "Where do you come from? Is it a game world, like everyone else's?"

After a moment, Tabuu answered, "Yes and No."

Everyone except Wolf and Snake paused what they were doing to listen to their master's tale.

"The form you see before you once belonged to a simple character, living in a world that never quite managed to make it to a console. I'll explain more when the time is right."

S3thl0n chuckled haughtily. "Seems pretty lame to have a motive like returning to your homeworld."

Ness just gave him an odd look. "Isn't that why you cut guys scrambled back here in the first place?"

S3thl0n was silenced by this. He blushed, embarrassed, amidst several snickers from everyone around while Lucina just gave him a quizzical glance.

Suddenly, the machine that Snake and Wolf were working on began sparking and whirring to life. Everyone looked at the machine, then to Tabuu for more information.

"It's detected a disturbance in another world."

They all glanced at the screen where they saw a fountain surrounded by the wreckage of several alloys and five figures. But, above all, a familiar floating platform framed by a mountain in the background garnered Tabuu's attention.

The Smashers all gained odd looks.

"Wasn't that the All-Star Rest Area in Melee?" Nana piped up.

Lucas nodded. "It seems a little… familiar to me."

Tabuu slammed his palm down on the stage, causing all of his servants to jump.

"Pi… chu pichu?" Pichu asked timidly.

 _" '_ _What_ _'_ _s wrong,_ _'_ _he asks._ _"_ Lucario translated.

"The time is right," Tabuu began. "The world you see before you is the remnant that I have left… of friends, family, and the open coffins of bad memories."'

 _…Begin_Flashback/Many_Years_Earlier_

 _Lyon Gop was a simple man living in the Ryuoh Town area of the continent of Requas. Very few people actually visited this area, which made the town's latest arrival somewhat of a shock. Even though the local martial arts studio that Lyon had founded had garnered some fame, he had never expected a gigantic floating hand to stage a tournament with him and three of his friends. Early in the tournament, the fighters were eager to battle it out, enjoying the opportunity to fight one another and finally test their skills. People from the surrounding areas of Requas flocked in to see these grandmasters fight it out._

 _But, the day they were disillusioned was when a messenger interrupted the tournament when all the fighters were on break._

 _"Hmm? What is it?" Lyon asked._

 _The messenger turned to one of Lyon's friends and noted,_

 _"Mr. Rafe Irmew… your wife… she's become grievously ill and can't leave the house."_

 _Of course, Rafe reacted immediately, speaking to the Hand._

 _"Get me out of here. I quit."_

 _Master Hand, however, blocked the door, aiming his finger gun at the martial artist._

 _"I'm afraid I can't let you leave. This tournament rides on the continuous participation of all four contestants. If one of you leaves, the tournament will be offset."_

 _Lyon stood, glaring at the floating Hand. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that when you don't allow us to see our wives for even the slightest of emergencies, we will all leave."_

 _The other two nodded and turned to the door as all four stepped outside without looking back._

 _…_

 _Master Hand, later on, threatened the four to return to their battles or their families would be destroyed._

 _"It's best not to anger me," he cautioned._

 _So, amidst their fear, the four returned to their fighting, returning home each day more and more exhausted. In their delirious fever, the four men conspired to fight against Master Hand._

 _Of course, they didn't know what would hit them._

 _As soon as Master Hand entered the dojo that morning, the four fighters attacked the Hand with the strongest punches they could muster. Master Hand began glowing blue, a lowercase Greek "Alpha" symbol appearing on his wrist, and trapped all of them in an orb of psychic energy. Master Hand began spazzing, his aura turning slightly purple as he said,_

 _"I warned you. Now, all of your world will suffer!" A gigantic fireball of oblivion blasted out from the heavens and, upon exploding, dissolved the entire world into a wasteland. The citizens of Ryuoh were turned into nothing more than ones and zeroes, dissolving into so much useless code. Master Hand then spoke up, looking completely different, a purple aura surrounding him and eight fingers seizing and flailing all over the place._

 _"You four have a special punishment for disobeying me. You will lead an army of horrendous beings against fighters that, unlike you, regain some sense of loyalty to the one who provided popularity and a name for yourselves. But, above all, you will most likely lose… all the time."_

 _Various, rough-edged purple blobs appeared beneath them in all sizes and shapes._

 _Master Hand chuckled. "You'll be taking their forms and leading the Fighting Polygon Team."_

 _…End_Flashback_

Everyone just stared in shock, fully registering the actions of a being they had all deemed as benevolent. Tabuu decided to continue the story from there.

"In addition, once we had served in full on the Premier Tournament, Master Hand decided to take his little pets along with him to the Melee Tournament… and we quickly became the leaders of the Fighting Wireframes. Of course, I managed to, during one part of Cruel Smash, touch the core of Battlefield and suddenly vanished to this black abyss you see now. In absorbing the energy of Subspace, I gained an unfathomable amount of power. The red core I had before was found on one of my journeys through this realm. It became my new "heart," so to speak, and it prolonged my existence as a Wireframe creature, but expanded my features into so much more detail. Once Smash Brothers was a success, I was no more than a stupid failure, a "taboo" subject, if you will, which led to my rebirth of identity. I took a more humanoid appearance and bided my time, using my newfound strength to look into other places that had been abandoned by their gods in favor of other, better creatures, such as the Isle of the Ancients, where I found the R.O.B.s. doing their work. Though it took some convincing, they joined my noble cause. My Ancient Minister served me well in my quest for revenge against Master Hand and the Smashers who had both beaten me up on numerous occasions and took my place. The primids, however, were found after I found the scientific marvel of Mr. Game & Watch. My core at the time allowed me to manipulate the Shadow Bugs inside of him to create countless other members of the Subspace army, including Spaaks, Greaps, and the powerful Galleom. Of course, trapping Master Hand with my whips wasn't enough, and I fought against you Smashers, intent on returning the favor he had dealt to me. You managed to destroy me with the help of Sonic, who weakened my wings, which were the manifestation of my core's power. You should know the rest from there."

Even S3thl0n was silent at the shocking story of Tabuu's mysterious past.

Snake managed to say, "You were the lucky one, weren't you?"

Tabuu nodded. "I know. Master Hand destroyed all of the Wireframes after the Melee tournament's completion, replacing them with mechanical monstrosities known as Alloys. Call it cliché, but I'm the last survivor of the Dragon King Tournament of fighting."

Lucas spoke up. "We won't let you down, Master."

Tabuu nodded at the boy's claim. "I thank you for your loyalty. In addition, once this machine is fully operational, I will make sure that my goal is completed."

Ganondorf was the one to ask, "What does it do?"

Wolf answered quickly. "We're building another warp system… Master ordered us to."

Tabuu said, "Yes… we will seek out other worlds that have been neglected from the Smash Tournaments and use their power to increase mine exponentially."

Dr. Mario asked, "But how are-a we going to power it, Master?"

Snake smirked before opening his pack and pulling out something everyone recognized - a Smash Ball.

Tabuu nodded. "Once the machine is ready, we will begin our recruitment mission. Every world will know our names."

 **...**

 **Well, a lot happened, eh? I hope that can see the upward trend in these chapters, and I hope you eagerly await the next ones to be posted.  
**

 **Regardless, I hope you like it! I'll see you guys as soon as I feel like posting the next chapter(s?).**

 **Until next time...**

 **This is the Emerald Dynamo, signing off!**


End file.
